Hunter x Hime
by Justanimefanfics
Summary: Twelve year old Himeko, or Kou as she likes to be called has been searching for something for her past few years. In order to get hold of it, she decides to enter the 287th Hunter exam. Little did she know that the people she will meet during the exam will change her views on the World. Pairings : Killua x OC / Kurapika x OC
1. A new beginning

**A/n** : Before I start the story I wanted to give a quick disclaimer that I do not own the character or the story line. (I only own the idea of the OC)

Also, I know this chapter will include scenes of the original anime/manga and so will the next couple of chapters with some alterations. I want to follow the original story line until I find a good point to throw my own ideas in. The story will have a lot more alterations and original ideas a couple chapters into the story with all the mains introduced although I don't want to change the flow of the original storyline.

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><p><strong>Prologue <strong>

Himeko was waiting to board the ship which would take her to the site of the 287th Hunter exam. She examined all the other candidates that were boarding the ship along with her. Most of them were middle-aged men.

She had a petite build, as expected for her age. Her skin was pale which contrasted with her straight black hair which reached up to her shoulders. Her forehead was covered with her straight bangs. Her eyes were deep blue, almost like a gem. A sapphire to be precise. She also wore a pair of earrings with a little gem which seems to be the same colour as her eyes ; a sapphire. Another distinctive feature was the small beauty mark she had underneath her mouth.

When it was her turn, she made her way up onto the ship, much to everyones surprise.

"Hey, little girl. Aren't you a bit too young for the Hunter exam? You should go home and play with your dollhouse or something." One of the many men on the ship commented seeing her on the ship. A couple of the men around just snickered at his comment.

"All muscles and talk but no brains. How did I guess?" She mumbled to herself before going around finding a space for her to sit down. She took off her peach coloured rucksack before sitting down and examining the other examinees. To her they didn't look like much anyways although most of them were double if not three times her size.

She sighed and opened her rucksack and looked through it. All she brought with her was a spare change of clothes which consisted of a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, just incase her cream coloured one piece dress got dirty. Her dress reached her knees. It was fairly simple and plain with no extra designs or embroidery on it. She also had a towel with her along with a toothbrush, some toothpaste, a hair brush and all those little essentials. After a while she finally found the book she was looking for. It was quite a big one and looked a bit too advanced for a child of her age. Nonetheless, she started reading from where she had left off while ignoring the constant fighting in the background.

After a while, the ship had become a lot quieter. Some just couldn't bear the ship rocking back and forth and became sea sick. Others just sat around waiting for the ship to arrive at the examination site.

"You are all pathetic, you want to become Hunters and you can't even take a small boat ride?" The Captain of the ship passed by some of the seasick candidates. He was right. If they couldn't take a little boat ride how were they meant to take the Hunter exam? How were they meant to risk their lives to go on Adventures to unknown lands?

A couple of hours later, the sound of the seagulls interrupted her thoughts on the book. She looked up and they were all flying towards the direction they just came from, as if they were afraid of what was ahead. She put her book back into her rucksack and stood up to look at what lied ahead. The sky was still clear ahead but if that was the case, why would the seagulls flee? It must be a storm that's brewing ahead. The deck of the ship was almost deserted and she also thought it wouldn't be safe to stay on deck anymore so she made her way inside.

She opened the door and found a mass of men lying sick on the floor.

"Is this for real? Are you trying to tell me none of these idiots are able to take a little sea sickness?" She thought to herself. However her thoughts were interrupted by the voice of a young boy who was running back and forth.

"Here mister, try chewing on this herb. It will help you with your seasickness." The young boy offered on of the sick men a medicinal herb along with a cup of water. But he wasn't the only one who was still in the game. He looked around to see a blonde boy with blue eyes, probably in his mid teens reading a book while resting on a hammock. Another man much older looking man was sitting against the wall snacking on a green apple. He was wearing a suit and tie and wore sunglasses.

She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her and walked over to a little corner that was unoccupied by anyone. A little while later, the door opened once again. It was the Captain who looked around with a disgusted look.

"So only four people have what it takes to become a hunter!"


	2. Three Heroes

The Captain looked around the room and his eyes ended up on the little boy, the blonde boy, the other older man and finally on me.

"Well, I guess you four will have to do for now." He said and gestured to follow him. The little boy stood up and followed without hesitation unlike the other three of us who hesitated a little before following them. A little while later, we ended up in the steering room. The three boys and I stood in a line next to each other while the Captain was in front of us.

"You four are the only candidates that are left. The others will all be eliminated. Could you all tell me your names?"

"I'm Gon Freecss." The little boy answered first. He seemed quite simple minded but determined. Why such an honest boy wanted to become a Hunter, she didn't know. Whether he was Hunter material, she doubted. He looked like he couldn't even hurt a fly.

The Captain spent a moment to examine the boy. It's as if he recognised the boy from somewhere.

"I'm Himeko."She answered. Telling him my name wouldn't hurt. After all, it's just a name.

"I'm Kurapika." The blond boy answered. He seemed calm and reserved but also seemed a little distant. Different to the other two. He must have a reason for becoming a Hunter.

"My names Leorio." The older looking man answered. He too was quiet but different from Kurapika.

"Okay, may I know the reason you all want to become a Hunter?" The captain questioned them.

"My father is a Hunter. He left me with my aunt while I was still a baby. I want to become a Hunter and find out for myself what being a hunter is all about. I want to find my dad!" Gon was almost too honest for his own good, Himeko thought. He was the only one who answered. The others remained quiet although the captain was looking at them waiting for an answer.

"You're not an examiner, so I don't have to tell you." Leorio answered.

"I agree with Leorio." Kurapika answered while Himeko just decided to stay quiet. Leorio became a little annoyed by the fact that Kurapika decided to call him by his name without honorifics and a little argument started between them which was interrupted by the captain.

"Lets see. That means we have three more drop outs." We all froze. "You don't get it? The Hunter exam started as soon as you stepped on this ship. It's my job to screen the applicants. If I don't like you, you simply don't pass!"

There was a silence between the four of them before one of them actually decided to speak.

"I'm the last survivor of the Kurta clan. A few years ago, my whole clan was murdered by a group of criminals. I will become a Hunter and arrest those criminals and avenge my clan." Kurapika spoke. He tried hard to conceal his anger and tried to remain level-headed. This made him seem like he was speaking the truth. He was honest about his feelings, unlike Himeko.

"Unlimited knowledge!" She answered. "A Hunter gets access to all kinds of information and books that a normal person won't even be able to set their eyes on." It was a lie. She wasn't ready to be as honest as Gon and Kurapika. The Captain knew this but still accepted her answer and looked at Leorio waiting for his answer.

"Why I want to become a Hunter? For money of course. You can buy anything with money. The finest liquor, an expensive car, a big mansion, women." Leorio answered. At this point, he seemed a little narcissistic. Kurapika got easily annoyed with his attitude.

"You can't buy class Leorio." He commented. There was some tension between the two of them. The two continued to insult each other until Leorio angered Kurapika by insulting his clan. Kurapika couldn't control his temper anymore and the two of them decided to continue the fight outside with their fists instead.

The Captain, Himeko and Gon just watched them walk out.

"Shouldn't we try to stop them?" Himeko asked. She usually wasn't someone who would meddle with other peoples affairs, but right now they had to get through the storm safely and in order to do that, they all had to stay together.

"No, leave them be. My aunt Mito once said that to understand how someone feels, you must first understand why they are angry."

Gon might be really naive but Himeko took some liking to him. He was a good kid, anyone could see that. But whether his honest soul would get him through the Hunter exam, she still doubted.

"How about you two help out around the ship?" The Captain asked. The both of them agreed. They ran out in order to help out the crew who was running back and forth trying to get the ship through the heavy storm.

"Hey, Himeko right?" Gon started a conversation. "How old are you?"

"Me? I'm twelve."

"Really? That means we are the same age." Gon smiled.

What an honest kid, Himeko thought. It made her smile.

"You can just call me Kou. I feel like 'Hime'ko doesn't really fit me well. I'm not Princess like at all."

"Sure, Kou it is then! Shall we help out on the deck?" Himeko nodded.

As the two of them stepped out on the deck, they saw Kurapika and Leorio ready to fight it out between them. Gon didn't step in and Himeko decided to listen to Gons Aunts words and not interfere either. It was a fight between the two of them and they should come up with their own resolve.

Himeko remained still until she saw one of the crew members struggling to stand up on the swaying ship. He was about to be thrown overboard. Before she could rush out Gon beat her to it but she decided to run after him. Gon caught the crew members right leg while Himeko managed to grab the left leg. However, now all three of them were about to get thrown into the water. Suddenly Himeko felt someone grab one of her legs. She stopped falling and opened her eyes to see that Gon wasn't falling either. Someone had caught them. They were pulled back onboard and saw Kurapika and Leorio with worried faces.

"You idiots. Don't you two think before acting. You could have drowned out there if it wasn't for us two catching you!" Leorio shouted.

"I agree with him. That was a very reckless thing to do!" Kurapika agreed. Gon just smiled at the two of them.

"Well, you did catch us didn't you?" He smiled at them innocently. They didn't have the heart to shout at him anymore and just smiled. The crew member thanked us before heading back inside.

"I'm really sorry for earlier. I shouldn't have insulted you or your clan." Leorio apoligised.

"I should be the one apologising. I shouldn't have disrespected you in the first place, Leorio san."

"Just call me Leorio. Using honorifics makes you sound distant!"

The atmosphere between them wasn't tense anymore. They both made up and realised their mistakes by themselves. It brought them closer together just like Gon said. Himeko just couldn't help but smile.

"Kou-chan!" Gon called Himeko. "High five!" He raised his hand up waiting for a high-five from Himeko. Himeko decided to accept and high-fived him.

"You should stop with the honorifics too. After all, I just call you Gon don't I?" Gon nodded.

"Wait, I thought your name was Himeko." Leorio interrupted. "Well, either way Kou suits a reckless brat like you more than Himeko."

"I never gave you permission to call me Kou, Leorio." Himeko teased him.

"I never gave you permission to drop the honorifics brat. To you it's still Leorio-san or Leorio-sama!"

"As if I'd call you that!" Himeko stuck her tongue out at him and laughed, making Gon and Kurapika laugh too. She was a bit embarrassed by the fact that these three made her open up to someone in a long time. It felt a bit new to her.

"Well done you four. You all passed." The Captain interrupted. We all looked at him.

"I thought only Gon passed." Kurapika commented.

"It's up to me to decide whether you pass or fail, and I say you all pass."

He leaves us behind on the deck and walks off.

"Damn that old man. Walking off after acting so cool." Leorio mumbled.

"Isn't this great? We all passed." Gon cheered.

"Hold up. We aren't even at the exam site yet Gon. You make it sound like we've passed the exam."

"But isn't it great. The four of us can take the hunter exam together!"

Nothing could stop Gon from being so happy at this moment. The other three just looked at each other and smiled. After all, they all realised Gon was a little different from the rest of them.


	3. Arriving at the Exam Site

The storm passed and the ship safely reached land. Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio walked over to a big map to pinpoint the location of the Hunter exam. Gon said he wanted to have a quick word with the Captain so they waited for him.

"I'm back!" Gon ran towards the three of them. "The Captain said we have to head to the lone Cedar tree. We'll find our guides there."

They turned to the map and started to located the big cedar tree which was outside the city.

"Wait a second. I received information that we have to catch the bus over there to get to the exam site. The last bus is about to head out." Leorio pointed at the bus in the opposite direction.

"Well I'm trusting the Captain." Gon stated and headed left. Himeko smiled.

"I'll trust Gons instincts on this. See ya."

Himeko ran behind Gon until she caught up to him. It didn't take much to convince Kurapika either. He followed the two children. He knew Gon was different so he put his trust on him. Leorio remained behind and decided to go in the opposite direction towards the bus stop. He decided to trust the information he got instead but he quickly changed his mind after hearing that the bus was just a trap to fool naive first timers. He ended up taking a u-turn and ran behind the three who headed towards the cedar tree.

A little while later, they reached a little deserted village.

"Are you sure this is the right way? It might be a trap set up." Leorio questioned.

The other three remained quiet.

"There are people here." Kurapika pointed out. Leorio looked a little confused. The village was obviously deserted. There was no soul around. Suddenly, the four were greeted with loud music and some villagers. Amongst them was an old lady. She seemed to be the leader of the group.

"Are you kids ready for the quiz?" She asked.

"Quiz….?" The four travelers were thrown off guard.

"Let's start the Mind-Boggling Two choice Quiz!" She announced.

The four still stood there trying to process what's happening before them.

"We were being followed." Himeko stated. They all looked back and saw a man coming out of his hiding space behind a building.

"Well, I've been discovered." He simply walked towards them. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take the quiz first!"

He walked past them and asked the elder to give him the quiz. She proceeded.

"Your mother and your lover were held hostage, but you could only save one of them. Who would you save?"

The question threw Gon, Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio off guard. It was a cruel question.

"Pick 1 if you would save your mother, pick 2 if you would save your lover."

"That's easy. I'll save my mother." The man answered. Gon, Himeko and Kurapika just remained quiet while Leorio tried to hold in his anger.

"Very well, you may proceed." The elder let the man pass by.

"How could that be the right answer. How could you only save one of them!" Leorio began shouting.

"Calm down, you just have to tell the old lady what she wants to hear."

His statement didn't help Leorios anger any further. In fact, it made him even more furious. He started shouting at the elder who in turn told him to keep quiet. She proceeded to give them another question.

"If your son and your daughter were held hostage and you can only save one of them, who would you choose?"

Yet again, they were faced with another cruel question. A parent would rather die than abandon either of their children. Gon, Himeko and Kurapika started thinking deeply about it while Leorio continued his angry rant in the back.

"Like hell I'd abandon any of them. I'd rather die than abandon them!" He shouted.

Himeko clocked on. There was no real answer to the question. Neither 1 or 2 are the right answers. The question was meant to be answered with silence. Himeko looked around and she wasn't surprised when she saw Kurapika calm. She knew that he had also figured it out. She turned to Gon who was also quiet but was still thinking. On the other hand Leorio couldn't hold his anger in anymore. The time limit was nearly up and Leorio decided he'd try and force his way through instead of answering such a stupid question. He was on his way to attack the elder and Himeko was about to step in to stop him but Kurapika beat her to it.

"Move out of the way Kurapika, I want to teach this old hag some manners!" Kurapika didn't move. The time limit was up.

"There is no need. We passed the quiz." Himeko announced. Leorio seemed a bit confused at this point. Kurapika tried to calm him down.

"She's right. We weren't supposed to answer. We were supposed to answer with silence." Kurapika added.

"That's right. You all passed the quiz." The elder stated. She opened a door which had a long dark tunnel and a light far in the distance.

"So what about the man who you let pass." Leorio asked.

"He's probably dead. The path ahead was a trap."

"You're right. There was no path ahead. This tunnel is the path that leads you to the navigators house." The elder explained. "As you four passed, you may proceed."

Kurapika, Himeko and Leorio got ready to go ahead but they noticed someone was missing. They looked back to see Gon still in thoughts.

"Ahh, I can't seem to figure it out." He dropped down on the floor out of frustration.

"Gon, the quiz is over. We passed!" Himeko told him.

"I know. But if I ever get into a situation like that, I wouldn't know what to do!"

Gon was right. It made the others think. If they had a choice between abandoning their son or their daughter, would they be able to choose between one of them or would they choose not to save either of them. Although the quiz was over, the cruelty of the question still decided to make their hearts sink.

At this point, they had no choice but to proceed. They thanked the elder and walked down the dark tunnel towards the light at the end. The question was still on their minds.

After a short walk, the reach a house. It seemed only natural to knock on the door which they did. They found that the door was open so Kurapika slowly opened the door to see a wounded man and a woman being taken away by a beast. It was a magical beast to be precise. These creatures are called Kiriko.

Gon, Kurapika and Himeko got ready to chase after the beast that had taken away the woman while Leorio remained.

"I'll take care of his wounds. You three chase after the beast!" Leorio exclaimed. He kneeled down besides the injured man and started taking a look at his injuries. The other three climbed out of the window and were chasing the Kiriko that left with the woman.

Gon was faster than the other two and ran ahead while Himeko and Kurapika followed. It didn't take Gon too long to catch up with the beast and he used the opportunity to give it a good beating on the head causing it to drop the woman. Luckily she was caught by Kurapika. She looked a little pale and seemed to be unconscious.

"I'll take care of her, you go and help Gon!" Kurapika commanded.

"Okay. I'll be back."

Himeko picked up her pace and tried to catch up with Gon who wasn't to be seen. He was jumping from tree to tree while he was chasing the beast. It was hard to follow them from the ground. Himeko slowed down as she heard something fall from above. She quickly took a couple of steps back. It was the beast that jumped down from the trees. Himeko examined the beast from a safe distance. Gon was no where to be seen. She was pretty sure that he was right behind the beast, so where is he. Then she noticed it.

"You're not the beast that Gon is chasing."

The beast looked at her surprised. She was right. Gon was chasing another one.

"How did you guess?" The beast asked. She smirked.

"So I was right after all!" The beast looked a little dumbfounded by her comment. "Well Gon hit the beast he was chasing with his fishing rod but you don't have a bruise on your head."

"That's all?"

"I'm guessing it was you who took the woman from the house and escaped into the woods. You then went into hiding while your friend who is the other beast took the woman and ran off. Gon is chasing that one while you waited for someone else to cross your path."

"You're a sharp one aren't you?"

"That's not all. I'm guessing this is all an act to test us. Part of the exam to see whether we are really ready to become hunters. The couple that lives in the woods all by themselves were fine until the day we came by which coincidently was the day when they were attacked. I'm sure you are able to sense the smell of humans from far away so you were probably able to sense us coming. It seems a little odd to me. The human couple are probably beasts as well, aren't they. You have the ability to adapt the appearance of humans."

The Kiriko remained quiet listening to Himekos reasoning.

"I guess I'm right. I'm sure Gon and Kurapika would have figured it out by now too, so I guess it's best for us to head back to your house."

The Kiriko smiled at her.

"You're quite impressive for a little girl. We should head back, I'm sure your friends are also on the way back to the house.

With this, the two headed back to the house where the left Leorio behind. The others were already there waiting for Himeko to return. She was right, it seemed as if they figured it out too.

"Very well. Now that we are all here, we shall proceed." The other Kiriko said.

"You're all a family aren't you?" Gon asked. Leorio, Himeko and Kurapika seemed a bit surprised.

"How can you tell Gon?" Kurapika asked curiously.

"They all have a similar smell."

"Gon is different indeed." They all thought.

Gon was able to figure out the differences between the beasts too. He noticed the difference between the voices of the Kiriko that took off with the woman and the Kiriko that he chased out. To him one of their voices sounded a bit more high pitched than the other while everyone else didn't seem to notice a difference. The two Kirikos praised him for being observative and pointed out that no one has ever been able to distinguish between them. Although the other three tried their hardest to distinguish between their voices, they couldn't.

Kurapika was able to distinguish strange tattoos on the womans hands and face. He was able to figure out the true identity of the woman who was also a Kiriko. He was praised for his vast knowledge. Leorio was praised for remaining behind to treat the wounds of the injured man and not leave his side until the others returned. He was praised for his kindness.

The four Kirikos agreed to help the four as they thought they were qualified for the Hunter exam. It turned out that the Kirikos in the woods were a couple while the two disguised as humans were actually their children which Gon managed to point out.

The Kirikos each took one of the four and flew across the night sky to help them get to the exam site. It was a long night for all of them and as the night passed, they arrived. Three of them flew back while the son who took the form of a human once again guided them to the building where the hunter exam was meant to be happening.

They were impressed by a tall building where they thought the exam was supposed to be happening but it turned out that the site was actually in the run down restaurant next to the tall skyscraper. The four followed the Kiriko into the restaurant and waited for him to exchange secret codes with the old man who seemed to be the owner of the store who then allowed them to enter a room at the back of the restaurant with a table arranged for four people.

"It was nice meeting you. Take care and good luck!" The Kiriko said and after they thanked him, he left the room. The four decided to take a seat and wait. They started to feel a little pressure after a while. They were sitting in an elevator that was going down. There was some silence between the four of them until the elevator stopped.

The door opened and they stepped out one by one into a large tunnel. It seemed like they weren't the only ones there. In fact, they seemed to be some of the last ones to arrive at the place. There was a big crowd of candidates already, most of them didn't seem welcoming. There was tension between the candidates as they knew not everyone could pass the exam.

Gon, Kurapika, Himeko and Leorio proceeded and received badges.

Leorio - #403

Kurapika - #404

Gon - #405

Himeko - #406


	4. Running a Marathon

**A/n :** Hi everyone ^^. Thanks for the follows. I hope you are enjoying the fanfic so far although I know the first few chapters might have been really boring. And yay, as you can see from the title, Killuas going to be introduced in this chapter!

I've written until the Trick tower stage so far and I just wanted to know whether any of you want me to add the Bonus stage from the 1999 version in this fanfic since that's one of the only fillers I personally enjoyed in my whole entire life xD. I know most of the chapters so far were a bit predictable mainly because I'm following the original story line but I've added quite a few extra scenes in the next few chapters since I've introduced Killua so yay. Well, enough from me. I hope you enjoy the chapter :)

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><p>The four of them cautiously moved through the crowd trying not to attract any attention. Most of the candidates didn't look friendly at all. A lot of them looked ready to take down as many candidates as they can.<p>

They stopped as they were approached by a rather chubby and short looking man. His badge read #16. It must have meant that he arrived early on. He was one of the first ones at the site! He introduced himself.

"My name is Tonpa. I've never seen you four before so you must be first timers!"

"I'm Gon! How did you know that we are first timers?"

"This is the 36th time I'm going to take the exam."

"36?!" The four exclaimed. They were surprised that he was still willing to try after failing so many times.

"That's besides the point. You must all be thirsty making your way here. Lets have a toast to our new friendship." He took out a can of juice for each of us and passed it along. Gon proceeded to drink it but spat it out right away.

"What's wrong Gon? Are you okay?" Himeko asked.

"The juice tastes a little funny."

Kurapika didn't hesitate to spill out the juice in front of Tonpa.

"I'm really sorry about that. It might have expired. I'm really sorry once again."

"Good thing none of us drank it." Leorio said.

Himeko turned the can around and looked at the expiry date written on it. There was still around a year left for the juice to expire. She remembered Gon telling her about growing up on Whale island and him being able to identify different medicinal herbs and distinguishing good ones from bad ones just by the smell of it. She drew to the conclusion that Tonpa probably tampered with the juice beforehand. Maybe something like a weak poison that would take you out for a week or so. He was probably trying to reduce competition by taking out the newbies.

"Here, this one is still unexpired. I don't feel thirsty anymore so you can have this instead of the one you have since you said that's expired." Himeko said as she threw the can back to Tonpa who caught it. He seemed a bit surprised that Gon managed to figure out that something was wrong with the juice. He quietly looked around at all the other rookies. He was both impressed and shocked by the fact that they were all able to turn down the juice other than one boy who the juice didn't affect at all. He moved around through the crowd and realised that the rookies this year were different. They were a lot stronger.

"Hey, you!" Tonpa stopped walking. It was #99, a little boy with messy white hair, a dark purple turtle neck underneath a loose V neck shirt and shorts. "Can I have more of that juice you gave me earlier?"

It was one of the rookies that drank the juice earlier on but unlike the others, he didn't show any effect. He even came and asked for more. Tonpa gave him a couple of cans and the boy quietly walked away. Tonpa watched him consume the juice without showing any effect and was slightly confused. He knew the laxative in it would have taken effect by now.

The boy stopped walking and looked back at Tonpa.

"If you're wondering, I'm immune to poison." The boy turned around and continued to walk off. Tonpa was taken off guard by the boys' eyes. That look wasn't ordinary. It was the look of a cold hearted killer.

"So you noticed it too, Kou-chan?" Kurapika approached Himeko. She looked at him.

"I told you to call me Kou, not Kou-chan." She pouted.

"Ah, sorry. I just can't seem to get used to it." He gave her an awkward laugh.

"K-o-u. Kou! It's easy."

"Kou." Kurapika repeated after her.

"Yes, what is it Kurapika? I can call you that right? I mean without honorifics?"

"Yeah, sure." He smiled, "I just wanted to ask whether you noticed the think about the drink Tonpa offered." She nodded.

"Remember what Gon told us about on the way here. He grew up in the wild and he should naturally have better instincts than us when it comes to things like this. If he found the taste funny, then there must have been something wrong with it!"

Kurapika agreed. "His face seemed to have changed when Gon spat the juice out. As if he didn't expect it."

"Exactly! He probably never expected Gon to distinguish the taste. He was probably a bit more taken back when you decided to spill the juice out in front of him and when I pointed out that the juice was still unexpired."

"Yes. I agreed. He also walked off quietly after you handed him your can. What do you think was in there?"

"Maybe a weak poison that would take us out of the exam. Something like a laxative that would act up for a couple of days. I doubt it would have been anything that would have been life threatening though."

Kurapika sighed.

"Either way, we have to be careful. I'm sure he's not the only one who is targeting rookies. I've got a feeling that there are some eyes on us. Gon and Leorio still haven't got a clue of what happened so we have to try and look out for those two too. Knowing Leorio, he would throw a fit if he discovers that the juice had been tampered with."

"You have a point there. We shouldn't create a scene especially with people like them walking around." Himeko pointed at a tall, slim man, #44. He was very pale and had red hair. His left cheek had a red star on it while the right one had a green tear drop drawn on it. He seemed dangerous, as if he was looking for someone to kill. "He's looking for someone to kill."

Kurapika looked at the man and couldn't help but agree with her. Suddenly, another man bumped into him. #44 stopped walking while the other man continued walking without looking back. #44 seemed to wait for an apology from the other man but when he didn't get one, he removed the mans arm. The man fell on the ground screaming in pain while #44 simply walked off. Kurapika and Himeko as well as some of the other examinees witnessed the scene in front of them.

"We should avoid him at all cost." Kurapika stated to which Himeko could just nod quietly. He was one opponent they didn't want to face. "Let's just head back to the others."

As soon as the pair went back to Gon and Leorio, the examiner entered the tunnel. He was quite tall and very slim. He had lavender coloured hair that was curled at the end and a thin, curly mustache. The was wearing a dark suit with a red tie.

"My name is Satotz. I'm your examiner for the first phase. I want you all to follow me."

As soon as Satotz finished his sentence, he turned around and started walking. The examinees all started to walk behind him. They walked along the long, never ending tunnel. After a while Satotz looked behind and picked up his pace. The examinees behind him also started to jog behind him. Gon, Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio remained together and jogged in a line next to each other.

One hour past, two hours past. Looking back some of the examinees have stopped running and dropped out. A lot of the examinees are still going, running behind Satotz who doesn't seem to break a sweat. Compared to him, Leorio was starting to falter and slow down. After all, at the rate Satotz was going some of the examinees were starting to wonder whether he was actually human.

Leorio looked back when he heard the sound of wheels rolling against the concrete floor. It was #99, the same boy who approached Tonpa a while back asking for more juice.

"Hey brat. Get off your skateboard and start running. That's cheating!" Leorio shouted. #99's eyes turned to Leorio.

"Well, we were just told to follow him. He didn't really mention that we had to follow him by foot." Gon pointed out.

"Whose side are you on Gon? Kou, help me out here!"

"Gon does have a point here." Himeko agreed.

"Are you brats all ganging up on me?"

#99s gaze turned to Gon and Himeko who were still having a little argument with Leorio. He slowed down to go at the same speed at them.

"Yo. How old are you two?" He asked. Gon and Himeko looked at each other before one of them answered.

"We are both twelve." Gon answered.

"They are both the same age as me." #99 thought and sighed and did an impressive flip with his skateboard. He decided to run the rest with Gon and Himeko while carrying his skateboard. Gon was amazed by his trick.

"Wow, that was so cool. I'm Gon by the way."

#99 looked at him and smiled.

"I'm Killua." Killua looked at Himeko waiting for her to introduce herself.

"This is Himeko. You can just call her Kou." Gon answered for Himeko.

"Geez Gon. You should really ask the owner of the name before allowing others to call them by their nickname!"

"Ah, sorry Kou." Gon gave her an awkward laugh.

"Why, am I not allowed to call you by your nickname?" Killua asked her.

"Don't worry, you can call me Kou. I was just messing with Gon!"

"That's not very nice Kou!" Gon whined.

"I never said that I was being nice to you." She laughed.

"How much longer do we have to run?" Leorio interrupted their little bickering. He was clearly sweating and out of breath. Looking back, a lot of candidates dropped out already. They've been running for around three hours now. Approximately 60 kilometers; maybe even more than that.

"Just hang on a little longer Leorio." Kurapika tried to encourage him. However, even he didn't know how long the tunnel was. In fact, the thought of not knowing how much you have to run is part of the challenge, or that's what Kurapika thought.

A couple kilometers later, Leorio reached his limit. He couldn't take another step forward. The others stopped too.

"You can go on ahead." Leorio declared. "I'll catch up soon."

Himeko and Kurapika ran back to Leorio trying to help him stand up. Killua looked at the scene with curiosity. Gon was also about to run back but was stopped by Killua.

"Wait. He said he'd catch up. We should run before we lose the others ahead." He told Gon.

"Sorry, I can't do that. Leorio is my friend. So are Kou and Kurapika. I can't abandon them all."

Gon also decided to run towards Leorio and the others. Killua sighed.

"Damn these people with good hearts." He turned around and ran off behind the other examinees trying not to lose them, leaving the four behind him.


	5. Dangers in the Swamp

"Leorio, are you alright?" Gon asked Leorio who just got up with the help of Himeko and Kurapika.

"I am. You should all go without me. I'll catch up sooner or later."

Gon, Himeko and Kurapika stared at Leorio in silence. They weren't going to leave him behind and Leorio knew that. He took a few deep breaths.

"I'M NOT GOING TO DROP OUT OF THIS FUCKING RACE!"

Leorio sprinted off leaving the three mindblown, trying to process Leorios statement.

"Did he just say…." Himeko started off.

"..he isn't going to…" Gon continued.

"Drop out of this race?" Kurapika finished. They looked at each other.

"I'm pretty sure he said 'fucking race'!" They heard another voice. It belonged to Killua.

"Killua, why are you back?" Gon asked.

"It's because of you damn good people. You all sure know how to make a man feel bad about himself."

"Man? Which man? I don't see a man." Himeko asked.

"Me of course! Who else would I be talking about?"

"I swear you're still a kid. You can't be older than Gon and I." She said. "But then again, with that white hair…. I think I get what you mean!"

"Wait, no! I was born with white hair!" He shouted. "Besides, your friend took off without you. Shouldn't we all run after them before we lose sight of them?"

"He's got a point!" Kurapika pointed out. "We should get going!"

Gon used his fishing rod to grab Leorios briefcase before they all started running again.

"Wow that was cool!" Killua commented on Gons fishing rod trick.

"I'll teach you how to do that if you teach me how do ride a skateboard." Gon tried to make a deal. Killua then looked at Himeko.

"I bet the brat there doesn't have any cool tricks to show off!" He snickered.

"Shut it old man!" She replied sticking out her tongue.

They were able to catch up with Leorio pretty quickly. He seemed more determined than before.

"You're pretty determined for an old man, aren't you?" Killua asked him.

"Watch your mouth brat! I'm a teen just like all of you!"

The other four just froze on their spots as Leorio continued running.

"WHAT?!"

"Why is it so surprising? I'm a couple of years older than Kurapika. I'm actually 19!"

"... and how old are you Kurapika?" Himeko asked Kurapika who still seemed to be in a state of shock.

"I'm only 3 years younger than him. Why do I feel so old all of the sudden…"

"Besides, how old are you Killua?" Gon asked Killua.

"What kind of a question is that. I'm twelve. The same age as you."

"Really?! I thought you were older!"

"Why did you think that?"

"Well Kou pointed out that you have white hair so….." Killua looked at Himeko who showed him a cheeky smile.

"And you really believed her…" He was close to facepalming himself. "She was joking."

"Really? Is that true Kou?"

"Yeah. But I never knew you'd believe me Gon. You're seriously too innocent for your own good." She sighed.

"Leorio, why are you doing the Hunter exam?" Kurapika asked Leorio. "If you did it for money, you would have dropped out long ago. But you're still going. It can't be for money, I won't believe that!"

Kurapika's words turned all the attention towards Leorio. He did have a point. Leorio collapsed but still decided to keep running. If money was his motive he would have dropped out long ago. Everyone was waiting for Leorio to answer Kurapika's question.

"You see, I once had this close friend. He died long ago, but of what? An illness that was curable. I was totally helpless. I didn't have the money to afford to pay for the surgery and pay for the medical expenses. If I had money I could have saved him damn it!" Leorio slowly let out his bottled up emotions. "I want to become a doctor. If I become a Hunter and get money, I will become a doctor. I won't let people like my friend die anymore!"

Everyone ran in silence. It seemed like Kurapika wasn't the only one who had a wound that drove him to become a hunter. Leorio felt a lot of remorse for not being able to help his friend. It wasn't his fault and he seemed to understand that. But he didn't want to make the same mistake again. He didn't want to let down his friends again. He won't let down his friends again. That's his resolve. The resolve that's driving him forward.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Kurapika's head hung low. He probably knew the feeling. Losing his friends and family all in one night and ending up alone in this cold and dark world. He was also enduring this pain alone. His promise to avenge his clan drives him forward. This is Kurapika's resolve. Something he has to do and will do.

He wasn't the only one with his head hung low. Leorio's words seemed to have affected Himeko too. The Himeko that was bickering with Gon and Killua a while ago seemed to have disappeared. She remembered how she felt before meeting Gon and the others.

"Kou, are you okay?" Gon asked. She looked up and gave him a faint smile.

"That reminds me brat. Why did you want to become a hunter?" Leorio asked Himeko.

"The names Kou, not brat." She answered. "Also, I've told you before. Hunters can access a large range of information and books that a normal person could only dream of. A hunter gets access to unlimited knowledge!"

"You're telling us to believe you?" Leorio asked. "It's just as believable as my money story."

"You're right, it is!"

"What is it then?"

"I'm trying to find something!"

"So you're like me? I'm trying to find my dad." Gon asked.

"No. It's not like you at all. It's the opposite actually." She gave them a vague answer. "I'm sorry but that's all I want to tell you at this point."

Killua noticed that she was uncomfortable to talk on. He tried to change the topic.

"Look, the exit is up those stairs!"

Everyone looked up. There was a long set of stairs leading outside. It was the first light they saw in hours.

"Hey Gon. Let's see who reaches the exit first." Killua challenged Gon. Gon quickly accepted his challenge.

"You come along too Kou. You too Kurapika and Leorio." Gon suggested.

Kurapika and Leorio said they'd come at their own pace but told Himeko to go ahead. She also accepted the challenge. The three twelve year olds left the two elders behind and started their final sprint. Surprisingly they still had quite a lot of energy left. They passed quite a lot of the other examinees and caught up to Satotz.

"Goal!" They all screamed insync.

"You two lose!" Killua exclaimed.

"You came after me. I came first! Tell him Kou!"

"I reached the goal before you two. You were too busy looking away!" Himeko tried to convince the two boys but they both thought they came first.

"Satotz san, you saw who came first right?" Gon asked the examiner who was behind them.

"I believe all three of you reached the goal at the same time."

"Really? At the same time? That's lame!" Killua complained.

One after one, the number of contestants that reached the goal increased. Kurapika and Leorio ended up reaching the goal too eventually. After waiting a while, the door they came from shut meaning this was it. Only the people who reached the goal could continue.

"Well done to the contestants that made it this far. We are half way there. Next up is the Numere Wetlands. Don't be fooled everyone. This area is also called the Swindlers swamp. All kinds of creatures live here that trick humans and feast on them. Please stay close to me as we continue running!"

"Wait. Don't be fooled by him!" A voice shouted from behind. They all turned to see an injured man.

"He's not the real examiner. I am! He is one of those beasts that trick humans and eat them." He pulled out an ape like creature with similar facial features as Satotz from behind.

A lot of examinees were thrown into confusion. Some started to doubt him.

#44 stepped forward. He threw something that looked like a card towards both the injured man and Satotz. Satotz managed to catch it while the other man didn't.

"So Satotz san is the real one after all. A hunter would have been able to survive that attack with ease." He said. Satotz didn't seem impressed by #44's actions. He gave him a warning instead.

"Did you hear, that guy was disqualified for attacking an examiner last year!" Someone whispered at the back.

"Really? That guy is nuts!"

"Yeah. His name is Hisoka. You should watch out around him."

Kurapika and Himeko weren't happy with Hisoka passing the first stage.

"I didn't expect him to drop out of the first stage anyways." Kurapika said with worry.

A lot of the examinees were still wondering whether it was the right choice to go forward. After all, they were about to be fooled before they started running.

"Let's proceed."

Satotz started running again and the examinees ran behind him. A lot of them were still out of breath even after the short break they got. Nonetheless, they still kept running.

As the examinees started running, the fog started to become thicker. Gon and Killua were running at the front while Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio were near the back. Killua noticed the fog thickening and also noticed Hisoka behind them as well as a couple of other examinees. He didn't like the look of the situation. He knew Hisoka is wanting to kill and will take the fog as an opportunity to do just that.

"Gon, we should pick up our pace. The air behind us doesn't smell too good."

Gon looked back and couldn't figure out why he would say that. To him the air behind him smelt just fine.

"Kou, Kurapika, Leorio. Killua and I are going ahead!" He shouted.

"Idiot, you weren't supposed to let everyone know." Killua yelled at Gon.

Meanwhile, the trio at the back heard Gons message.

"I guess we can manage at our own pace." Leorio said.

"Okay. We're right behind you!" Himeko shouted back.

The fog became thicker and soon, a lot of the examinees started to get separated. A lot of examinees started getting tricked by the animals living in the swamp. There seemed to be no end to the screams. The fact that no one could see what's in front of them scared some of them even more. What's out there to get them? No one knew for sure.

Hisoka was surrounded by those men that kept an eye on him during the journey through the swamp. They obviously meant business. They came to take care of him once and for all. However, it just made Hisokas job easier. After all, he was acting as an examiner himself, passing and failing people. However, the people he failed will never be able to have a chance to try again. In his eyes, all these men failed and he was prepared to take care of all of them.

Gon and Killua at the front were still running behind Satotz. However, Gon started to become worried hearing all these screams behind him. He occasionally turned to look behind him. There was no one there. He was worried whether one of those screams could have belonged to one of his friends. He stopped running which made Killua stop.

"What is it Gon?"

"I'm going to look for the rest."

"Are you feeling alright? Are you really wanting to try and find them in this fog. They've come this far, they should be okay."

However, stubborn Gon did not listen and ran off. Killua watched Gon run off into the fog but turned around to run behind Satotz. After all, he wasn't like Gon.

Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio continued to walk while staying close together. They knew which directions to avoid hearing the screams in the background. A few minutes later, they saw a familiar figure standing in the fog. It was Hisoka. He killed all the men who wanted to attack him.

Himeko and Kurapika proceeded with caution. Even Leorio knew that this was a life or death situation they found themselves in. One wrong move could cost them their lives.

"Listen closely." Kurapika whispered. "Don't make any obvious movements!"

It was only loud enough for Himeko and Leorio to hear.

"I'll count to 3 and on 3, we'll each run into different directions. Don't look back, just keep running."

Hisoka found his new prey. He slowly walks towards the trio.

"One, two, THREE!"

On three, the trio split into three different directions and just ran. Hisoka just stopped and didn't bother to run after them. He knew he'll encounter them again sooner or later. He was about to turn around and find new prey but was surprised to see that one of the trio returned. It was Leorio.

"I'm sorry pal, but I just couldn't run away. I'm a man after all." Leorio stood there ready to take on Hisoka. Hisoka face showed amusement. He never expected him out of all three of them to return by himself to fight him one on one. However, Leorio didn't last too long in a match between him and Hisoka and was knocked out after a punch on the cheek.

"You pass." Hisoka whispered to the now unconscious Leorio.

"Get away from him!" Himeko warned. She had a feeling that Leorio would have returned to the site so she couldn't leave him to face Hisoka alone.

Hisoka grew interested in the twelve year old standing in front of him. She was trying to look brave but he knew she was shaking on the inside.

"I may not look like much but I'm strong. I took on opponents that were twice, no trice me size before so don't underestimate me!"

Now that Hisoka was away from Leorio, she didn't know what to do anymore. Fighting is no option unless she wanted to die right there. The fact that she ran back with no plan, just hoping for the best was so unlike her. Hisoka just slowly continued to walk closer and closer. She clenched her fists and got into a fighting position in case he attacked.

"Get away from her!" Another voice interrupted. It was Gon. He used his fishing rod to hit Hisoka, but at that opportunity Hisoka just grabbed Gon by then neck. "Get away from here Kou. Get Leorio away from here!"

"No. I won't leave you behind." Himeko decided that she will not leave one of her friends behind. Hisoka was more interested in the courage these two showed in front of him. He was more impressed by the fact that they all decided to stay although they had the opportunity to run. Not just that, the fact that Gon was able to launch an attack on him intrigued him even more.

"Hey, let him go. If you don't, I won't hesitate to attack you for real." This time Himeko wasn't bluffing and Hisoka could tell.

"Himeko, Gon!"

Kurapika arrived to the scene. At this point Hisoka decided to let go of Gon and approached the unconscious Leorio. He decided to take Leorio with him.

"Don't touch Leorio!" Gon shouted.

"If you want him back, why don't you try getting him back yourself?" Hisoka finally said something. He vanished into the fog carrying Hisoka with him.

"How are we meant to get him back now?" Kurapika asked.

Gon sniffed a little. "I think I can track them down. Leorios collonge is unique. I can smell it from here."

"Is he a dog?" Himeko and Kurapika asked themselves. However, they did not hesitate to follow Leorios scent.

"Seriously, I let you two out of my sight and you end up doing something stupid!" Kurapika was mad.

"I'm sorry." Himeko apologised.

"Seriously, I was so worried when I couldn't find the two of you. What if that Hisoka was still blood lusting. You two would have been dead right now."

Himeko remained quiet. She felt very remorseful for making Kurapika worry. He saw that she was regretting her decision so he decided to cool his head.

"Just make sure not to do something reckless like that again." He gave her a slight smile before patting her head.

The three of them continued to follow Leorios scent until they saw a crowd. They reached the main group again which meant that they were at the goal. They looked around to see whether Hisoka was anywhere to be found.

"Oh, it's you guys." It was Killua. "I never thought you'd reach the goal."

"Killua! You're here too!" Gon exclaimed.

"Well duh! Unlike a certain someone I decided to stick with the group instead of running of on my own."

"Well it couldn't be helped. After all, we all made it here safely."

Kurapika and Himeko were still on the look out for Hisoka. When they found him, he pointed towards one of the trees where Leorio was still lying unconsciously. They both let out a sigh of relief before going to check up on Leorio. Gon and Killua made their way there too.

"Why is his face so messed up?" Killua asked. Gon decided to explain the situation to him while Himeko and Kurapika were treating Leorios wound.

"You encountered Hisoka and survived?!"

Gon nodded in response.

"That's insane. That guy was literally looking to hunt people down."

"I don't understand something." Himeko interrupted the two boys.

"What is it?" Gon asked.

"You see, when I arrived to the scene, Hisoka said something to Leorio. He told Leorio that he passed. But I don't understand what he passed."

"He was probably doing his own little examination on the other examinees. He's probably assessing everyone here and testing whether they are worthy to continue the exam or not. Leorio must have left an impression on him hence he didn't kill him. I'm guessing that's why he didn't kill Himeko or Gon either." Kurapika started to explain. He was right. The number of examinees decreased by a lot. A lot of them got lost in the swamp but Hisoka did deal with some of them.

"Well done to the applicants who made it this far. You all passed the first stage. You will all proceed to the second stage now." Satotz congratulated everyone before leaving the place. The remaining candidates made their way to the site of the second stage of the exam where they met their next two examiners.

The first one was a woman. She had a slim build, wore short denim shorts and a mesh top over a black bikini top. Her green hair was tied into five top knots.

The second examiner was a man. He was quite big with a large belly.

They introduced themselves.

"I'm Menchi!"

"I'm Buhara."

"We are your examiners for the second stage."

* * *

><p><strong>An :** Yay, the first phase is done *throws confetti*


	6. Let's Cook!

The remaining examinees were waiting eagerly to hear their next challenge.

"We are gourmet hunters." Menchi continued to introduce themselves.

"Gourmet Hunters?" Gon asked.

"Gourmet hunters go out and search the world for all kinds of ingredients to create new cuisines." Kurapika explained.

"That would mean…"

"That's right. The second stage of the hunter exam is cooking!"

Menchi's statement caused a few mocking laughters within the crowd of the examinees.

"We didn't come all this way to cook you two dinner."

"If you don't like it, just go home!" Menchi answered. "Anyone else who doesn't like the way we run things here can go home too. We aren't stopping you from going back home."

The crowd became quiet. No one was willing to give up at this point.

"First you will have to cook a meal I request." Buhara stated. The examiners continued to explain the challenge. Only those who are selected by Buhara could move on and complete Menchis request. Those accepted by both Buhara and Menchi would be able to qualify for the third stage of the Hunter exam.

There was another round of complaints by the crowd which were quickly brushed off by Menchi. She once again offered them the opportunity to leave the exam at this point and go home if they are not satisfied with the way the second stage was run.

"I've never cooked in my entire life." Leorio sighed.

"It was indeed unexpected." Kurapika added.

"I expected it!" Gon commented. They turned to looked at Gon.

"You can cook?"

"Yeah. I'm good at cooking rice with a raw egg on top." Gon smiled innocently.

"... I guess that could be counted as cooking." Kurapika said.

"I don't think we should worry much." Killua interrupted.

"Why would that be?" Leorio asked.

"We have her after all. She should know how to cook." He pointed at Himeko. All attention focused on Himeko.

"That's right. We have Himeko. She can help!" Leorio smiled.

"You can cook Kou? What's your speciality?" Gon asked. Himeko gave them an awkward smile.

"I'm good…" She started off.

Everyone looked at her with anticipation.

"I'm only good at eating!" She stated. Everyone gave her a dumbfounded expression. "Sorry, but I've never cooked before."

"Seriously, you could have made the scene less dramatic. You built our hopes up before crushing it right down." Killua complained.

"Well it's your fault for stereotyping girls! Not all girls can cook you know."

"Now it's certain. You'll never get married. You can't cook, you're flat and you don't have the looks to make up for that."

"Well excuse me for being flat, I'm like 12 years old! Besides shouldn't you worry about who will marry a brat like you first? I'm sure I'll become a pretty young woman when I grow up. You will probably look back when you're all old and wrinkly and would regret calling me ugly."

"Don't joke around with the pretty young woman thing. It's giving me goosebumps. Also, while we are talking about old and wrinkly, I think I can see wrinkles forming when you smile. Are you sure you are 12 and not some old hag with a ton of makeup on?"

"You little brat…"

Gon, Kurapika and Leorio were watching the two argue.

"Shouldn't we try stopping them?" Leorio whispered to the other two.

"Maybe we should follow Gons method. Let them understand why they are angry at each other so they become closer." Kurapika suggested. They both looked at Gon for him to give his suggestion.

"I don't think what Aunt Mito said will help them. Maybe we should try and split them up."

Leorio stepped forward after Gon agreed to split them up for now.

"Hey, hey you brats. Stop making such a big scene here. You can fight all you want after the hunter exam is over."

"Shut up, old man!" Himeko and Killua yelled at the elder at the same time.

"You damn brats…." Leorio was about to give them a piece of his mind before Kurapika decided to step in.

"He's right you two. Give it a break already."

"Kurapika, you're on my side right. You think I'm pretty right? You would marry me right?"

"... yeah, I guess."

Kurapika and Leorio were out of the game already. Since Himeko was able to make Kurapika side with her, Killua decided to convince Gon to side with him.

"Gon, you're with me right?"

Gon was left speechless. He couldn't choose between Himeko and Killua.

"Gon, you're my friend right?" Killua tried again.

"Well… yes." Gon answered.

"It's decided. Gon is on my side!" Killua stuck his tongue out.

"Ehh? That's cheating. Gon is my friend too, right Gon?"

"Yeah… I'm friends with both of you." Gon answered.

"You can only choose one Gon." Killua protested. Himeko sighed.

"Since you're being such a brat, I'll be mature and give up. I don't have time to fight with children like you." Himeko said before turning her back towards Killua which angered him.

"Hey, I'm still not done -"

Killua was interrupted by Buhara.

"If you two are done, I'd like to give you my request for the challenge." He started off. The crowd quieted down. "My order is, a roast pig. Not just any pig, but the most dangerous pig in this world that lives in this very forest, the great stamp!"

The crowd of examinees ran straight into the forest to catch a pig for themselves. However, most of them didn't expect a giant pig that would chase after its hunter. The pig seemed to be unaffected by any attacks until one of the examinees found the weak spot on the forehead. The information spread around really quickly and by the end of it, all the examinees returned with a fully roasted pig for their first examiner. Buhara gobbled down each one of those pigs while passing each of the examinees during the process. All that was left was Menchis request.

"Now for my request. I want sushi!" She ordered. The examinees looked at each other in confusion. Sushi was a delicacy that was only found in certain parts of the world. Not many people would have tasted let alone heard of this delicacy. Well, all apart from one contestant that was full of confidence. #294, his name is Hanzo. He claims to be a ninja, quite a talkative one too. The contestants were giving equipment and knifes but no one knew what to do next. Some tried to roll the rice into a ball, much to Hanzos amusement.

"Do you have a clue on what to do?" Leorio asked Kurapika.

"I read about it somewhere. Nigiri sushi, it's rice seasoned with vinegar and seasoning served with a slice of fresh fish. I can't recall the exact shape of it though."

"Fish? But we are in the middle of a forest!"

"Yes, but there are still ponds and rivers around."

Thanks to Leorios loud voice, all the contestants were able to eavesdrop into the conversation. Everyone headed out to the nearest pond or river to fish. After they caught a fish, they made their way back to the exam site. Everyone brought back different species of fish, some looked even a little questionable to them. After they finished preparing their so called sushi, they lined up. Leorio was up first. However, he failed immediately with his questionable sushi. Gon went up next and was rejected too for being on the same level as Leorio which discouraged Gon a little.

"I'm on the same level as Leorio…."

One after one, Menchi failed the examinees who weren't able to make anything close to what looks like sushi. Killua went up next. His presentation looked impressive. Killua was brimming with confidence.

"Shrimp cocktail, marinated trout with mustard sauce and rice."

Menchi gave the plate a quick glance before throwing it out like the previous ones.

"Disgusting. Who'd eat that?"

Killua shrugged it off and walked off. Hisoka who was in the line also walked off. Turns out he had the same idea as Killua.

Himeko was up next. She gave Menchi a big smile which Menchi returned. Although Himeko is not good at cooking, she decided to use her natural cuteness to aid her in this.

"I tried my best, Menchi nee-chan~"

"Okay, let's see."

Himeko revealed a fish sliced into half with rice in between. Almost like a sandwich where the two slices of fish acted like the bread and the rice acted as the filling in the middle. She gave Menchi another smile and waited with anticipation.

"You're on the same level as the first guy!" She declared. Himeko broke down into a mental breakdown.

"There, there." Gon patted her back. "I know how it feels like to be compared to Leorio."

Another couple of contestants went to be failed by Menchi one after the other. Kurapika was still thinking until he got an idea. He arranged his dish before confronting Menchi.

Kurapika revealed the dish. It turned out to be the same as Gons with a dipping sauce and some vegetables on the side.

"You're on the same level as the first guy too." She said as she threw the plate away.

Kurapika walked away in agony. He eventually crouched down.

"There, there." Gon crouched down besides him and patted his back.

"We know how it feels to be compared to Leorio." Himeko said as she crouched down on the other side of Kurapika.

"You brats are picking a fight, aren't you?"

At the end, everyone ran out of ideas. This was when Hanzo came up. He revealed the dish and Menchi was surprised that he got the shape right. However, she was disappointed in the taste.

"It's just a simple dish!" Hanzo shrugged. Menchi lost it. She started yelling at Hanzo for not understanding that to prepare good sushi, a chef must undergo a lot of training. However, Menchi is not the only one who lost her patients. The examinees started losing their patients as well. She failed everyone after all.

"That's it, you all failed!" She took her phone out and called someone. She informed the person on the other side of the phone that there are no examinees left and that everyone has been failed. A lot of examinees were still arguing about her unfair judgement.

A while later, the Chairman of the Hunter Committee decided to drop by himself. After convincing Menchi, she finally decided to give everyone another chance and asked the chairman to take them to Mt. Split in Half. After arriving there, she told the examinees to step closer to the edge. There she waited for a bit before jumping down the gap in the middle of the mountain. She grabbed an egg. It belongs to a creature called the Spider Eagle. These lay eggs in the gap of the mountain and thanks to the spider web like threads they use for their nests, the eggs are safe from predators.

Menchi waited a little longer before leaving the thread she was holding and jumping down the abyss. The examinees were shocked. But Menchi was carried upwards by the strong wind that travelled upwards. She showed everyone the egg and instructed them to get an egg to pass the exam.

"That's insane. Who in their right mind would jump down?" One of the examinees questioned. At that moment, Gon, Himeko, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio stepped forward and jumped down. Watching them, a couple of others jumped down and got hold of a thread. Unfortunately, some examinees fell into the deep abyss as they either let the thread go too early or as they couldn't get hold of the thread in the first place.

"How are we meant to know when the wind will rush upward again?" Leorio asked.

"I can try and sense it." Gon answered. It was a life or death situation. If Gon was wrong, they would all die.

"I guess we would have to trust him. After all, that nose of his sensed the storm coming while we were on the ship!" Himeko pointed out. They decided to trust Gons instincts. He closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Now!"

They all jumped and got hold of an egg while they fell and at some point, they were all thrown upwards by the strong wind. They successfully passed. The examinees that remained at the edge awed them in awe. They were impressed by their courage.

Menchi praised their courage and allowed them to proceed to the third stage. But before that, she wanted the examinees to boil the eggs that were collected. The examinees tasted the eggs and were all in awe.

"These are delicious!" Himeko exclaimed.

"That's what us gourmet hunters do. We risk our lives to be able to try all these delicacies. It might sound ridiculous to some people, but for us gourmet hunters, it's something worth doing." Menchi explained. Some heads hung low. They were ashamed that they mocked Gourmet hunters yet they weren't able to jump down to get the spider eagle eggs.

"Excuse me sir, would you like to have a bite?" Gon asked one of the men without an egg. He gladly accepted and took a bite. The taste left him in awe. It wasn't like the eggs he tasted before. These were delicious.

The man finally accepted the fact that gourmet hunters aren't a joke after all.

"Yo, brat!" It was Killua.

"What do you want?"

"Here!" He handed her half of the egg he still had left.

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"Take it as an apology for earlier!" He said and walked off.

"Wait!" She stopped him. "Thank you, and I'm sorry too."

"Just drop it already. You said you're good at eating. Do what you're good at!"

"Was that meant to be an insult?" Himeko thought to herself. She sighed. At least he tried to apologise.

"So they made up after all." Leorio told Kurapika while watching the two.

"Yes they did."


	7. Challenge at Midnight

Forty three examinees passed the second stage. The examinees entered the Hunter Committees airship and gathered up. Beans, the personal secretary of the Chairman explains that the next stage will begin at 8 am the next morning. Until then, he advised the remaining examinees to get rest.

Kurapika, Leorio and Himeko looked around for a place to rest when Gon and Killua ran up to them.

"Let's explore the ship together!" His voice blasted with excitement. Unlike Gon, Leorio and Kurapika weren't as enthusiastic about exploring the airship. They'd rather take it easy for the night.

"Jeez, you kids really have too much energy." Leorio sighed. "I'll take it easy today!"

"I'll pass the offer too!" Kurapika added.

"Let's get going Gon. They don't want to come." Killua told Gon before walking off.

"Wait. What about you Kou?"

Kou looked at Kurapika and Leorio as if she was asking her parents for permission.

"Go on Kou. You seem like you have some energy left to burn!" Leorio told her. Himeko smiled at Leorio before Gon grabbed her hand and pulled her up.

"Let's go Kou." Gon said before running after Killua. Himeko just smiled to herself before running after the pair.

Together they ran through the empty corridors. After all, none of the other examinees were willing to risk wasting any more energy since they do not know what kind of challenge they would face the next morning. They opened a couple of doors which were not meant to be opened and ran away before getting into trouble. Then they reached the kitchen.

"I'm hungry." Killua said. They haven't had much to eat that day so it was only natural. Gon started sniffing something in the air. He followed a trail with his nose.

"This must be the kitchen!"

"Are you two really going to steal food from there?" Himeko asked.

"Why, you too chicken to help us? You can stay here if you want to but I won't share any of my food with you!"

"No, I just think it's not good to steal stuff. Waiting another couple of hours won't hurt. Besides, I never asked you to share your food with me!"

"Cut it out you two!" Gon tried to bring in some peace between the two. They stared at each other in silence.

"Tsk. Gon, let's go inside. Let her wait outside."

Killua pulled Gon with him as they snuck inside the kitchen to get some food. Himeko just waited outside. A couple of moments you could angry shouting from the inside and the two boys were immediately thrown out.

"I told you it won't work."

"Well, it's not like you can do any better can you now?"

Gon felt uncomfortable watching the tension between those two.

"I'll try getting some food." She sighed in defeat. She told the two of them to hide before she knocked on the door to the kitchen. The same chef that threw Gon and Killua opened the door and he was clearly still angry about it.

"I told you brats to go aw-" He stopped his sentence when he saw Himeko instead of Gon and Killua. "Sorry about that young lady. We just had two brats your age trying to steal food."

"Brats?" Killua clenched his fist.

"Do you have any left over food Oji san?" She asked politely. She was completely quiet after that and he just looked at her. His expression softened.

"I'll have a look for you?" He said before going back into the kitchen. He came back a while later with some leftover food that was wrapped up in plastic wrap.

"There wasn't much left but here you go."

"Thank you." She bowed and accepted the wrapped up food.

"Are you possibly taking the Hunter exam too, young lady?"

"Yes I am."

"Are you liking it so far?"

"Yes. I think I made friends." She gave him a slight smile. It was just a slight smile yet it was sincere. She was truly happy but didn't know whether she should express it fully.

"Well anyways, good luck for the rest of the exam. I hope you become a good hunter one day. I'll be rooting for you." He ruffled her hair a little before going back inside after Himeko thanked him once again. Himeko then made her way back to the two boys who were eagerly waiting for her arrival.

She handed them the food before walking away without saying a word. Gon stopped her.

"Wait Kou. Let's eat together!" He smiled at her. She couldn't say no to him. The three of them found a spot near a window where they sat down and started eating the food in silence.

"You are really good at dealing with people Kou." Gon broke the silence. She stopped chewing and looked at him.

"Oh you mean what happened back then? It's called being nice." She was shooting Killua a glare. There was another long silence.

"You said you wanted to find you dad. What is he like?" Killua asked Gon.

"I don't know." He answered leaving the other two dumbfounded. "But I know he's a hunter. Aunt Mito said that he left me on Whale island with her when I was still an infant. I want to find out what it's like being an Hunter. If he chose to leave me for so many years for being a Hunter, then being a hunter must be exciting. I want to meet him!"

"He's really positive. If I were him, I'd bear a grudge for being abandoned. His father probably doesn't know how to face his son anymore." Himeko thought.

"What about you? I've never heard much about you two. How are your parents like?" Gon looked at Himeko to start off.

"Me? My parents are dead. They were killed along with my grandparents and the relatives living with us. I was pretty much the only one who got out alive."

"I'm sorry I asked."

"No, it's okay. I would have had to tell you eventually anyways."

"Is that why you're good at dealing with people like that man from before?" Killua asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. In this world, people want you to act how they want you to act. I've been freeloading all over the place for the past couple of years so I had to learn the hard way. If you are nice to someone, they might actually be nice back."

"I don't like mean people!" Gon ranted. Himeko couldn't help but smile at his innocence.

"You're right. I don't like them either." She then looked at Killua. "It's your turn to answer Gons question now."

He sighed and gazed out of the window, looking down at the city lights in the night. They looked like stars shining brightly in the dark sky.

"The view looks so pretty." Gon said in awe.

"I'm used to seeing this view." Killua started off. "We travel a lot by airships."

"What, are you some kind of rich kid?" Himeko asked.

"You could say it's something like that." He answered. "My folks specialise in assassination."

"Both of them?" Gon asked. Killua bursted out laughing.

"Is that really your first reaction? People would usually ask whether I'm serious or walk away from me when I tell them this."

"Does that mean you are part of this so called family business?" Himeko asked. Her reaction wasn't the same as Gons. She wasn't afraid of him neither was she impressed by it. It's as if she had a lot of questions she needed answers to. She felt like her future, no her life depended on those answers.

"I used to, and to be honest my parents have high hopes for me taking over the business out of all my siblings in the future. You can say those were some killer expectations they had." He chuckled a little at his own joke. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"No. That's all."

They kept eating until Killua noticed a presence close to them, as if someone was watching them. He turned around but nothing was there. Suddenly, the Chairman stood behind them.

"Do you kids want to play a game?" He asked. He children look at each other in confusion. "If you beat me, I'll immediately provide you with a Hunter license."

"Wow, you can actually do that?" Gon asked.

"Of course I can. I'm the Chairman after all."

"Talk about irresponsible…" Killua and Himeko thought.

"Come on, a little game wouldn't hurt anyone." The three children eventually agreed and they stepped into a separate room.

"I'll explain the rules. Your task it to get this ball from me. You can attack me however you want but I won't attack you."

Killua who thought it would be easy stepped forward. He started walking around the Chairman in a circle. After a couple of seconds, he started leaving afterimages behind making it seem like he was multiplying. Himeko and Gon watched the scene in awe. He then attacked from behind trying to snatch the ball off the chairman but he was able to dodge. Killua tried again over and over again before he got frustrated and Gon offered to switch with him to which Killua agreed.

Gon decided to tag in and took a couple of steps back before jumping into the air with full force.

"This kid is fast." The Chairman thought.

However, because he jumped off with too much force, he hit the ceiling and fell back down.

"You idiot! Think before using so much force to jump." Killua yelled from the side lines.

"Sorry." Gon apologised while rubbing his neck. He returned into a attack position before trying his best to get the ball away from him but he failed.

"Gon, let me try." Himeko shouted from the side lines.

"Okay!" Gon ran back to the side and tagged out.

Himeko took a deep breath before setting her eyes onto the target. She bent her knees and jumped high up with what seemed like more force than Gon used.

"She's quite fast too, but she's still too slow." The Chairman thought.

However, instead of crashing into the ceiling like Gon, she used her legs to push her off the ceiling and headed towards the ball. The Chairman managed to dodge. However, she landed on her feet and used them to push her off again into the sky and pushed herself off the ceiling using her feet again.

"The same trick won't fool me twice." He thought and simply dodged again. She landed on her hands this time round and tried to kick him from behind. He managed to dodge once again.

"He's a tough one." She thought. "I guess I can't go easy on him."

She took her shoes off and planted them into the ground. This time when she pushed off, she was a lot faster than before. There was an imprint left from where she jumped off, that's how much force she used. She tried the trick she used earlier and pushed off the ceiling and kept going until she built up a decent amount of speed before attacking the Chairman. He dodged and she used the opportunity to grab the ball from him but failed.

"Hey, tag me in!" Killua shouted from the side lines. Himeko stopped attacking and bent down to get her shoes.

She walked towards Killua before tagging him in and standing next to Gon

When Killua got to the middle of the room, the Chairman decided to say something.

"How about all three of you attack me all at once?" He suggested. Since all three of them had no success individually, they decided to try and attack as a team. They started off by attacking from different directions but the Chairman was able to dodge all three of them. Eventually, they were able to get closer and closer to the ball but were never actually able to get hold of it.

At one point, Himeko stopped attacking and sat the fight out. She decided to put her shoes back on. Killua and Gon stopped too at some point.

"I'll give up!" Himeko surrendered.

"Ehh? Why?" Gon asked. She pointed at the Chairman who was still not breaking a sweat.

"Have you seen us? We are already sweating but he's neither sweating nor out of breath. We can keep going for a year and still not get close to the ball. He hasn't even used one of his legs and one of his arms yet and we couldn't even get the ball with three pairs of hands and legs." She said.

"You're quite a sharp one." The Chairman complimented her. Gon didn't notice until now.

"Either way, I'm going to go and catch some sleep before tomorrow morning." She said before she left the room with the Chairman and the two boys.

Gon looked around to see a few places with Himekos foot imprints on them. He decided to ask the Chairman.

"How did she manage to leave such imprints in the floor?" He asked.

"She used quite a lot of force to push her off." The Chairman explained. "It just left an imprint."

"But I did it too with all my energy but I didn't leave any imprints."

"She might have been training for quite a long time to achieve such strength in her legs."

"Wow, that's amazing." Gon blurted out.

"Do you boys want to continue?"

"Yes, I want to." Gon replied.

"I'll pass!" Killua also thought it was pointless trying if they weren't going to get anywhere the ball. He decided to leave the room too. When Killua left the room, Gon asked the Chairman about Killuas ability which he used right at the start.

"It's a technique used by people in the underworld. You're better off not knowing of it!" The chairman explained.

"Those two sure are amazing aren't they?" Gons voice trailed off. He tried to sneakily snatch the ball away but failed. They then decided to continue but Gon said he would at least make the Chairman use his other hand.

On the way back from the room, Killua was in deep thoughts. His eyes had a cold and scary look to them. He was lusting for blood.

"That was close. If I stayed in there for a little longer, I might have accidently killed that old man."

He kept walking when he encountered two men who walked past him. Killua accidently bumped into them but kept walking as he was still frustrated in his loss against the Chairman.

"Hey brat, aren't you going to apologise?"

Killua couldn't take it anymore. He killed the two men on the spot to vent his frustration. He looked back at the corpses of the two applicants before he kept walking. After spotting Himeko looking out of the window he slowed down. He gave it a thought before walking towards her.

He thought whether he would be able to control his bloodlust.

"Yo." He greeted her before taking a seat besides her. She just nodded and gave him a smile before looking out of the window again. The two of them were staring out at the city lights in silence.

"Did you hurt yourself? You smell like blood." Himeko asked. It was the blood from the two men he killed on the way there.

"Yeah, I hurt my hand." He lied.

"I see."

Whether she bought the lie or not, he didn't care. Whether it was a lie or the truth, she didn't care.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked.

"Was it something you wanted to ask back then with Gon?"

"Yes"

"Go on."

"Have you ever heard the name Inoue before?"

"Inoue?"

"Has your family ever come across the Inoue clan before? From four years ago."

Killua thought about it for a while before answering her.

"No, we did not get a request to assassinate an Inoue clan, if that's the answer you're looking for."

Her expression finally relaxed.

"Say, if I did know of this Inoue clan, what would you have done." Killua asked and watched her expression change.

"I would have had to kill you!"

* * *

><p>An - Merry Christmas ~


	8. Escape the Trick Tower

"I would have had to kill you!"

The word 'kill' made Killua more alert. His expression darkened. Himeko wasn't joking around; she was being serious. However, she didn't have anger blinding her. She wasn't bloodthirsty like 'his folks', she was determined to bring justice to the late Inoues.

"You weren't involved, so just forget about what I asked you."

"It's my turn to ask the questions now." Killua declared.

"You don't need to know anything and I don't have to tell you anything either."

"Then answer at least one question. The survivor of the Inoues, that's you right?"

"I gave this one away already so I won't lie about it. I'm from the main branch of the Inoue clan; Himeko Inoue."

"And you're doing the Hunter exam so you can find the murderers?"

Himeko remained silent.

"You don't know who killed them but you think that someone could have hired assassins to do the job for them."

She still remained silent.

"You know, for someone to hire assassins, someone must have hated your folks."

She clenched her fists.

"I know."

"At least you know."

"Are you going to keep asking questions? If that's all you wanted to say I'll be on my way."

Himeko stood up and walked away leaving Killua behind. At least Killua's off her suspect list. That alone made her feel relieved.

Meanwhile, Gon who was still up against the Chairman managed to make him use his right hand and collapsed on the floor right after. The Chairman looked at the boy and smiled. He showed great promise.

It was 8 AM and the airship finally landed. The remaining forty examinees got out of the airship. Two of the examinees were found dead and the cause was not known. After the examinees assembled, the rules for the third stage were explained.

"You have 72 hours to get down this tower."

That's all that was said. The crew walked towards the edge and looked down. Jumping down was out of the question and so was climbing down. That would be considered suicide. The crew watched a professional rock climber climb down but unfortunately he was caught by a couple of giant birds and taken away. The five of them decided to split up and go around to find out ways to get to the bottom of the tower. After a while Leorio, Kurapika and Himeko met up to discuss what they found.

"Have you two noticed, the number of contestants left has decreased." Kurapika pointed out. The other two looked around and counted the number of heads. He was right, not many people remained.

"I gave it some thought." Himeko started off. "72 hours. That's the time they gave us to get down. Even if climbing down was an option, I doubt it would take anyone this long. There must be some internal way to get down."

"You mean like a hidden passage?" Leorio asked. She nodded.

"I thought the same thing." Kurapika agreed.

"Hey guys, over here!" Gon called the trio over. Gon and Killua seemed to have found one of those secret passages. He opened one up but it immediately shut off.

"So only one person per passage." Kurapika thought.

"We found more around here." Killua added. "Five to be exact."

Gon and Killua walked over to the spot where they found five passageways.

"They are all so close together. What if some of them are traps?" Leorio asked.

"Then we just can't bear hard feelings. We can just try again next year if we don't get through this time." Kurapika kept a level head. The crew took their positions before looking at each other and saying their farewells.

"Let's see each other at the bottom of the tower."

The simultaneously jumped into the passageways and fell down into an empty room. When everyone looked up they realised they were still together.

"Well, that was a short farewell!" Kurapika pointed out. The crew looked around and found a tray with 6 watches. They read the sign.

'Majority votes. The game will start once there are 6 members.'

They each put a watch on and secured it. All they could do now is wait for someone to miraculously fall down.

A couple of hours passed and the five were sitting around trying to pass time. They were wondering whether someone would actually find their way down.

"It's been really long. Whoever is still up there must be really stupid." Killua complained. Just when he finished his sentence, they could hear noises from above. As if someone found a way down. They looked up hoping whoever it is will found their way down. Moments later, a figure fell down. They all looked at the figure standing up. It was Tonpa.

"Oh great, it's this guy." They all except for Gon thought. Nonetheless, they just sighed and explained the rules to him. They handed him the other watch and he put it on. After he put it on, the first question appeared on the screen.

'Do you want to proceed?'

5 x O

1 x X

The door opened.

"Who pressed X?" Leorio asked furiously.

"Oops, sorry. I pressed the wrong button." Tonpa smirked.

"It better be an accident, if this happens again then-" Killua stopped right there and smirked.

"This kid is dangerous." Tonpa gulped.

The six of them still proceeded with Tonpa trying to piss everyone off by pushing the wrong button. At one point, Leorio couldn't hold his anger in anymore.

"Stop trying to piss us off!" He screamed at Tonpa who just snickered at him in return.

"Ignore him, Leorio." Kurapika tried to calm him down.

"How can I? He is intentionally messing with us."

"Even if he is messing with us, there are still 5 of us who can push the right button and it won't make a difference." Killua explained. Tonpa just stuck his tongue out at the frustrated Leorio and continued walking away.

They eventually came across a platform in the middle of what seemed like an endless abyss. It was a dead end. They couldn't go any further. There were six masked people on the other side. One of them took his mask off and stepped forward. It was a fairly muscular and bald man. He started speaking.

"We've been hired to test you applicants. To get past here, you have to fight the six of us. These fights are one to one and you can only fight once. To win, four of you must win your individual matches. I'll be the first one to fight so pick someone from your side." The man explained.

"Oh man, I told you we should have taken the left turn instead." Leorio complained.

"That path might have been harder than this." Himeko pointed out. Everyone apart from Tonpa got together to discuss the order. Gon volunteered to go first but Leorio pointed out the obvious difference in size between Gon and the man. Kurapika will be at a disadvantage if he had his weapons taken away from him. Leorio said that Himeko shouldn't go up either since she doesn't have any weapons on her. In the end, Killua volunteered to go before Tonpa stopped him.

"I'll go first." Tonpa volunteered. They all looked at him. Did he just volunteer to fight? To finally be of some use?

"You?" Himeko raised her brow.

"Why not. I'll act as a guinea pig. If you observe how this works, you'll have a better chance to win."

"He's got a point." Kurapika pointed out.

"Then it's decided." Tonpa stated before heading towards the platform in the middle.

"Are you sure it's going to be fine?" Leorio asked the rest.

"Even if he gets killed, at least he won't get in the way anymore." Killua shrugged.

On the platform the man and Tonpa got ready to fight. The man was called Bendot. He received a 199 years sentence for murder and robbery. Bendot decided on hand to hand combat, something he specialised in.

Trick tower wasn't just a prison, it was a maze. The prisoners were promised to get years off their sentences according to how long they could hold the examinees off.

Bendot got ready to attack while Tonpa just stood there. Bendot approached Tonpa ready to throw a punch when suddenly he fell on his knees.

"I surrender!" He exclaimed. Everyone was dumbfounded by his actions. Bendot backed off and returned to the opposite end. Tonpa returned to the five examinees who were staring daggers at him.

"So you were tricking us after all." Leorio grabbed him by his collar.

"Guys, we shouldn't be fighting right now!" Gon tried to calm him down.

"I'm glad he surrendered." Kurapika interjected. Gon, Leorio and Tonpa looked confused.

"What do you mean?" They asked.

"That guy looks strong. Based on appearances I'm guessing he was part of the military once." Killua said while observing Bendot.

"Not only that. Their job isn't to beat us, they are here to hold us off. That attack was aimed for his throat. He would have crushed his throat first before slowly torturing him to waste time. He wouldn't even had a chance to surrender." Himeko continued. Tonpa gulped and Leorio let him go.

"I guess you're right."

Next up, another prisoner came forward and removed his mask. It was a petite man with long brown hair that covered one of his eyes. His name was Sedokan and he received a 149 years sentence for serial bombing. Gon decided to go next and stepped forward.

"All we have to do is light these candles and wait to see which one goes out first. The person whose candle goes out first loses. Pretty simple right?"

Gon nodded.

"So, do you want the shorter candle or the longer candle?"

Gon turned to face his team. "Which one should I choose?"

"Naturally you would choose the longer candle right?" Leorio asked.

"Yeah but what if they tampered with the longer candle?" Killua pointed out.

"They could have tampered with the short candle instead thinking we'd choose the short candle believing that the longer candle was tampered with." Himeko said.

"But then again, we'd end back with choosing the long candle." Kurapika added. "We can go in circles like this all day!"

"Argh, all this reverse psychology is making my head hurt!" Himeko was frustrated.

"Gon, you should trust your instincts and pick one." Kurapika told Gon. His instincts did get them all this way after all.

"Okay, I'll choose the longer one." Gon said as his team looked at him waiting for a reason. "It's longer so it should burn longer, right?"

"This might be the first time his instincts might fail us…." Kurapika face palmed.

Gon proceeded to get the longer candle and they both lighted it at the same time. At first, Gon had the upper hand but then halfway through the match, Gons candle started burning faster as the flame grew bigger.

"So the long candle had been tampered with after all!"

"No, both of them were probably tampered with but he probably had another set of candles with him so he exchanged his one with one that wasn't tampered with."

Gon tried to slow the process down. He then thought of an idea. He placed the candle on the floor and ran towards his opponent and blew his candle out.

"If the flame is stronger, then it means it's less likely to blow out because of the wind." Gon said before leaving the platform victoriously.

Kurapika went up next. His opponent was huge. He had a distorted face and nineteen hearts tattooed on his chest. His name was Majitani. He received a 108 years sentence due to fraud and blackmail. As soon as he entered the platform he started to boast about the hearts tattooed symbolising the number of people he has killed. Kurapika didn't step down though. Before they started to fight, Kurapika was told to throw away his weapons. He removed his blue tabard along with his weapons and they started to fight. However, at some point throughout the fight Kurapika noticed a spider tattoo on the back of his opponent. His heart immediately started to race. His vision became hazy and his head started to spin. His eyes turned scarlet red.

He took steps towards his opponent who was backing down and grabbed him by the collar before giving him a punch that knocked him down to the floor.

"Three things. One : To proof that you belong to the Phantom Troupe means you should have a number tattooed inside the spider. Two : They don't bother to keep up with the number of people they've killed. Three : Don't speak of the Phantom troupe again, or I will kill you."

His opponent was still out cold from the punch as Kurapika made his way back to the team who were all surprised by his strength.

"Say Kurapika, is it safe for us to be around you?" Leorio asked before cautiously approaching Kurapika. Kurapika sat down on the floor against the wall.

"I'm sorry about that." Kurapika apologised. Gon and Himeko also went to check up on him. Himeko crouched down in front of him.

"Are you okay?" She asked him. She gave her and the others a slight smile.

"I knew he was a fake but I just couldn't control myself when I saw the tattoo on his back. Sometimes I get like that when I see real spider too." He sighed.

"Maybe we should keep him away from any spiders." Leorio whispered to Gon and Himeko to which they could only nod.

Since Kurapika didn't kill his opponent, the victory wasn't granted to them yet. They had to wait for the opponent to surrender, however he was still unconscious. They tried waiting for a couple of hours before checking up on him.

Leorio went and checked the movement of his pupils. The next opponent stepped forward. They decided to bet using hours. Leorio betted that he's not unconscious while the opponent betted that he was. Leorio took Majitani to the edge of the platform and was about to drop him down before Majitani opened his eyes and ran back to the rest of his team.

Leorios opponent decided to pull of the mask. It was a woman. She was fairly attractive with a petite build. She had magenta eyes and pink hair that was tied up into two big pigtails by yellow ribbons. Her name was Leroute. She was sentenced for 112 years for illegal gambling. Their game consisted of a series of bets. She started the second bet.

"Let's bet whether I'm a woman or a man." She suggested.

"But she's obviously a girl." Everyone thought.

"Even if you claim to be a woman, there's no way to be sure." Leorio pointed out.

"Well you can search me until you're satisfied."

"He's going to bet that she's a male." Kurapika commented.

"Yep." Killua agreed.

"Definitely." Himeko added.

"Huh? Why?" Gon asked.

Leorio thought about it.

"I'll bet 10 hours on male."

"Just as I thought." Kurapika sighed.

"Perverted old man…" Killua added.

Himeko clenched her fist.

"You're an enemy of all women!" She screamed. "Come back here and I'll teach you a lesson lech!" She pumped her fist in the air while shouting before Killua covered her mouth.

"It's better to stop you now before you start using bad words in front of Gon." Killua sighed while she was still struggling.

"How were you guys so sure about it?" Gon asked once again before Killua tried to explain it to him as simply as he could.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm actually a woman." She said.

"Oh darn it!"

"Why does he look so happy about it…" Kurapika, Himeko, Tonpa and Killua thought.

"Huh? You're a girl? I'll have to check!"

"You want to see for yourself?"

Tonpa covered Gons eyes just in time while Himeko just kept shouting.

"Leorio, come back here so I can break your neck! Don't you feel ashamed of doing this in front of Gon?" Himeko just kept shouting whatever could come to her mind. She turned to look at her teammates.

"Besides, why are you perverts watching this?" She shouted at them before giving them all a beating on the head.

"Why are you overreacting? It's not like you're the one who's actually naked." Killua asked her.

"Me? Why am I overreacting? I'd obviously be overreacting if the guys I hang around with are checking out another womans naked body. It's making me question my life choices. Besides, don't you have any shame?" She shouted at the woman who just ignored her.

"Are they done yet?" Kurapika who had his eyes closed asked.

When the woman got dressed again, Himeko told everyone when it's alright to look again. After that, they had a match of rock paper scissors. They betted on who would win. Eventually, Leorios opponent won this round. He came back to his team. Himeko was hiding behind Kurapika.

"What's up with you?" He asked her.

"Don't play dumb. I have to take precautions around some of you now."

"I still don't understand what happened…." Gon frowned.

* * *

><p>An - Um... hi. lol I don't have much to say. I hope you all had a nice christmas and also thanks to everyone who takes their time to read this fanfic although I know that some chapters are a bit... dry(?) maybe.


	9. Last two Matches

The current score was 2-2. Only two matches were left to go. Leorio looked at the two children who had to go up next.

"Oh no, I should have won the previous match. With these two brats up next we'll definitely lose." Leorio frowned.

"I certainly don't want to hear that from you." Himeko yelled at him.

"Perverted old man." Killua added.

"Who is going to go first?" Kurapika asked. Himeko and Killua looked at each other. They decided to decide the order with a round of rock paper scissors.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" They said insync. Himeko chose scissors while Killua had paper.

"Scissor cuts paper. I win!" She said before walking towards the platform.

"I'll reserve the best for last then." Killua thought to himself.

Himekos opponent also made his way to the platform. He took off his mask. He looked pretty average to be honest. Too be honest, he didn't seem like the type that could fight. Not many people know his real name as he went by his codename Dox most of the times. He received 156 years of jail sentencing for being involved in human trafficking.

"How disappointing, I must fight you young lady." He started off. He got out an iron rod and threw it to her. "It looks like you don't have a weapon so I'll lend you that. I don't like to fight opponents who are less powerful than me without giving them an advantage."

She caught the weapon and held it in her left hand waiting for him to attack. However, he didn't.

"What a shame indeed. Having to find such a pretty young girl while I'm in jail." He frowned.

"If you're just trying to waste time, it won't work on me!" She interjected.

"I'm not. I simply like to get to know my victims before getting started. Go on, what's your name. You can call me Dox."

"I'm not obligated to tell you my name." She simply refused to tell him his name.

"Black hair, dark blue eyes, a petite build. You could be sold for a heck load of money. Finding people with black hair and your shade of blue eyes is quite rare these days. Two children, no you would sell for the price of several children your age." His analogy was starting to creep the team out. "Not just you. The boy with the blond hair; I noticed his beautiful scarlet eyes. Just one of those would sell for a whole lot. The little boy who fought earlier seems quite skilled too. Some people tend to pay for skills over looks. I'm not so sure about the white haired boy but I know the two old men wouldn't be worth much."

"That guy is giving me the creeps." Leorio stated. "Hey, Kou. If you don't feel comfortable fighting that creep you can surrender. We can always try again next year."

"He sounds more perverted than you old man." Killua said.

"You brat…"

"He seems more dangerous than he looks." Kurapika told them. "We should hope this turns out right."

"Don't worry, Kou is really strong." Gon reassured them with a smile.

"You may be wondering why I'm analyzing you now. I always analyse humans when I encounter then for the first time. I estimate how much they are worth before going after them. It turned into a habit now."

Himeko remained quiet as her face darkened.

"Aren't wondering why I'm in jail? I'll tell you about me if you tell me about you in return, okay?" He smiled at her. "I took part in human trafficking for over 10 years. I actually lost count of the number of humans I've actually sold. A lot of them were your age, but you certainly look like you'd be worth more than them. It's a shame I met you now." He sighed.

"It seems as if you are actually bragging about what you've done." Himeko mumbled.

"Huh?"

"You've been sent to jail to repent for your sins out them, not to brag about them." She shouted at him. "You destroyed the lives of so many people and you're bragging about it?"

"Calm down. It's my job, it's what I do."

She looked at her opponent with disgust and anger. She clenched the metal rod she received from her opponent so much that it snapped into two.

"For human scum like you, I'd rather use my bare hands to kill you!" She uttered before slowly walking towards her opponent. She then pushed off the ground and sped up towards him and punched him straight in the stomach. He fell on the floor. She stepped on his leg and crushed them as hard as she could to the point where you could hear his bones shattering.

"Stand up." She ordered quietly. One of his legs was broken and he couldn't move since he was in pain. He was groaning in pain. She grabbed him by his hair. "I told you to get up damn it."

She threw a couple of punches before throwing him down on his floor. She then stepped on one of his arms and shattered the bone like he did to the other arm.

"P-please. Spare m-me." He started to beg. She gave him a mocking smile.

"Spare you? Why should I spare you when you didn't spare those poor children when they begged you?" She continued to beat him up.

"Please I give up!" He continued to beg.

"Give up? I won't let you go until I kill you!" She declared. She was about to give him a finishing blow before she was stopped.

"Kou, please stop this!" It was Gon. "He gave up. He surrendered which means you won!"

She used her full force to punch the space next to Dox's body, smashing a fairly large area of the ground out of frustration.

"Damn it!" She kept punching out of frustration to vent her anger on something. After she had calmed down, she saw her opponent who couldn't move. She couldn't imagine how many bones in his body she would have broken.

"Excuse me miss, could you please help me get back to my side of the field?" He asked politely. She just scoffed.

"Glady!" She approached him and didn't hesitate to kick him to his side of the field where he crashed into the brick wall breaking it due to the force she used. His fellow prisoners looked at him with shocked expressions. He was beat up pretty bad and they questioned whether some of these injuries were actually heal eventually.

Himeko slowly walked to her side of the arena. Her head was hung low. She couldn't hold in her anger and would have probably killed him if Gon didn't stop her. Her mind was clouded and she couldn't think straight. She completely forgot people were watching.

"Great, they will think I'm some kind of monster too now." She scolded herself. Leorio and Tonpa remained at a safe distance.

"Are you even human? You're a monster!" Tonpa accused her. Himeko shot him a glare.

"Stop it, she's not a monster." Gon shouted. "Are you okay Kou?" He went to check up whether she was alright.

"You're sweating pretty badly. You should sit down for a while." Kurapika told her. He helped her sit down at the back while the others prepared to watch Killuas match. Killua cooly walked to the platform while his opponent seemed more than ready to fight him.

His opponent was Johness the Dissector. He was given a 968 year sentence and even his fellow inmates seemed afraid of him. He was a serial killer who had over a hundred victims, all of them murdered with his own bare hands and ripped into shreds.

"So, what's the challenge?" Killua asked.

"Challenge? I think you are misunderstanding this boy. This won't be a match but a one sided, brutal murder."

Killua just sighed and in a flash, he ripped out his heart. It was so quick, it looked so surreal.

"... my heart. Give it back." He said before dropping dead. Killua placed the heart back into his hand before walking back.

That concluded the matches. Gons team won with four victories. Tonpa was on guard when Killua came back.

"You did it Killua!" Gon cheered.

"Of course. I'm a professional. Compared to us, he's still an amature."

"Oh, you guys don't know right? Killua is from an assassin family."

"Assassin?" Leorio screamed before looking at Killua who explained how he ripped out his opponents heart. His fingernails adjusted into sharp claws that looked sharper than knives.

"See. My old man is much better than me though. He doesn't leave any blood behind when he does it."

After they won, a door opened. The team made their way back with Himeko and Kurapika right at the end. He was walking slowly since he wanted to ask her something.

"You're really strong Kou." He complimented her. She nodded and replied with a quiet 'hm'.

"It would take quite a few years to master such strength." He watched her walk quietly without giving me an answer. "I promise to keep it a secret!" He reassured. She nodded.

"You got really angry back there. Did something happen to you in the past?" She decided to tell him and Kurapika just listened to her talk.

"Thanks for telling me, Kou." He thanked her. She shook her head.

"I should be thanking you for listening." She said. "Thank you!"

"If there is anything on your mind, just remember that I'm here to listen. I'm sure Gon and the others feel the same way."

"To be honest, I'm too scared to tell anybody. I've never told anyone about this before and my heart is racing while telling you about it. I'm scared that people will stay away from me if I tell them."

"Don't worry. You can always count on me for help." He patted her head.

"Hey, you two. Hurry up!" Leorio called the two.

They had to spend fifty hours they lost in a room.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Sorry for the short update and also sorry for not revealing her backstory just yet. I feel like I'm just trolling around now xD. She will reveal it in the next chapter which is longer (I think). Thanks for reading :D


	10. The Inoue Clan

The team entered the room and got themselves comfortable. After all, they had to spend their next fifty hours there. Gon and Killua decided to check out what's inside the fridge while Kurapika and Himeko scanned through the selection of books on the bookshelf. Leorio turned on the TV and Tonpa just sat down watching everyone.

Kurapika and Himeko were reading their way through a selection of books while some of the others got bored already. It's only been around five hours. Gon and Killua played around on the skateboard and with the fishing rod until Leorio told them off for playing inside.

"Kou, what are you reading?" Gon asked.

"Oh this? It's just a book on the Human Anatomy!"

"Ana...what?"

"Eh. Don't they have any manga books here? What have you two been reading all this time?" Killua asked Himeko and Kurapika after roaming through the book shelves for some manga. "Don't tell me you've been reading educational books this whole time?"

"Yeah, what's so bad about it?" Himeko asked as Kurapika was too absorbed into his book to take part in the conversation.

"Killua, what's an anatomy?" Gon asked.

"Why was I grouped up with a twelve year old tarzan, two nerds, and a pair of useless old men?" Killua groaned in frustration. Gon and Himeko opened their mouths to answer but Killua stopped them.

"That was a rhetorical question!"

It was finally lunch time.

"Let's have lunch." Gon beamed.

"I second that!" Himeko followed. Kurapika quietly put his book away and joined them. They all ate in silence apart from Gon and Killua who were fighting over a piece of meat. Tonpa also decided to pick a fight with Leorio leaving only Kurapika and Himeko eating in silence. After eating, they spend a couple more hours trying to kill time. Leorio and Tonpa fell asleep while Gon and Killua were still fooling around. Himeko just watched them as the books were starting to bore her. She got through quite a few books already while Kurapika was still reading.

"How can he keep reading like that." She thought to herself.

"Hey Kou, join us!" Gon invited Himeko to join them. She accepted the offer as she had nothing better to do anyways. They had a rock paper scissors tournament with the loser getting a painful flick on the forehead each time until they got bored of it. At the end, all three of them had red marks on their foreheads.

A few more hours of fooling around later, the group decided to go to sleep.

_It was a dark and cold night. The chilly breeze entered the room and sent shivers down Himekos spine. She tossed and turned on her futon, and covered her whole body with her blanket but no matter what she did she was still cold. She opened her eyes and slowly struggled to get up out of her futon looking around her traditional japanese style room. She left the door open before she went to sleep so she got up and walked on the tatami mats to her sliding door to close it._

_She rubbed her eyes before looking out into the garden. It was too quiet. All she could hear was the cold breeze, the crickets and the water gushing down the small waterfall into the koi pond. Usually she would hear the voices of some guards who were slacking off._

_She stepped out into the hallway and slided the door to her room shut. She took slow steps down the hallway hearing the wooden floor creak a little whenever she stepped on them._

_"Why are there no guards around today?" She asked herself as she continued walking. "Maybe I should see where father and mother are."_

_She ended up at another sliding door._

_"Father, mother?" She called before sliding the door open. When she opened it, there was no one inside. Their futons were still there but neither her mother or her father were to be found. She shut the door again before trying to see where her other relatives were. She went to her grandparents room, uncles rooms and cousins rooms but none of them were in her rooms. It was starting to creep her out. Neither the guards nor her family were anywhere to be found. There was only one room left; her brothers room._

_She slowly walked down the hallway to her brothers room. It was right at the end of the hallway. Their rooms were the furthest apart although they were both siblings. She never really questioned it._

_"Oni-sama?" She called. "I'm coming in!" He opened the door and was greeted by a loud scream. She stumbled backwards and fell on the cold, hard floor._

_"Himeko. Run!" Her brother panted. She seemed to have been stabbed in the chest and was struggling to form words. The rest of her family was in the room too, all slaughtered and covered in blood. None of them were breathing. There were splashes of blood all over the wall. "Run" He forced another word out before he collapsed onto the floor._

_Himeko couldn't move. All she could see was red. She couldn't even force out a scream as she was too terrified. She started to hiccup as her tears were streaming down. She stumbled up onto her feet before making her way into the room that was painted in red. She couldn't think straight. Who would do this? Her clan was peaceful, why would anyone attack?_

_She suddenly remembered her brothers last words. 'Run'. Those words were echoing through her brain. Did that mean that the murderers were still around. Wasn't she safe in her own house. She looked back at the lifeless corpses. She couldn't bear to run away leaving them behind but she was too afraid to stay. She didn't want the same fate as her family to meet her._

_She started running. She ran down the long hallway spotting some of the murdered guards on the floor. The hallway seemed longer than ever this night. She kept running and felt footsteps behind her. Eventually the footsteps became faster. She tripped and a hand reached out for her._

Himeko shot up from her sleeping position. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and tried to catch deep breaths. Her heart was racing. Her dream felt too real, just like that night.

After she calmed down she looked around the dark room. Kurapika was deep asleep next to her with a book still in his hand. Leorio and Tonpa are sleeping while occasionally hitting each other. She looked over to see Gon and Killua. Gon was fast asleep while Killua eyes were wide open watching her. Her eyes widened.

"Why isn't he asleep?" She thought before crashing down onto her pillow again. She pretended to be asleep as she heard footsteps approaching her way.

"Water?" Someone asked. She slowly opened her eyes and got up. She accepted the water bottle and took a few gulps.

"I remembered something about the Inoue clan!" Killua said. Her expression darkened. "Don't worry. We didn't have anything to do with their death." He reassured her. "Just hear me out."

She nodded. "Why aren't you asleep?"

"I've been trained this way, I can stay awake for three days in a row."

She was quite impressed.

"So, what did you remember?"

"I did hear the name Inoue before. We did get a few requests to assassinate the clan before but my father and grandfather never accepted for some reason." He shrugged. "They've always told us to turn down any requests to do with the Inoue clan."

"Your father and grandfather knew the Inoue clan?" She asked.

"Dunno." He shrugged once again. "I was only told to stay away from them. When my old man tells us to do something, we never ask why, we just do it."

"Is that all you remember?" She asked.

"You sure are impatient." He sighed.

"You have more info?"

He nodded.

"Four years ago I heard from my dad that the Inoue clan was murdered. Thirteen children and eight adults were found dead in the same room."

"Wait! Thirteen children? Weren't there any teens found?"

"Teens?"

"My brother. He was sixteen at that time. He dropped dead right in front of me."

"I don't remember any teens being mentioned. To be honest my old man didn't even know how many children the head had."

"That would make sense. Afterall, our clan was secretive about a lot of things and now I understand why." She was in deep thoughts. She lived with two of her grandparents, her parents, her older brother, two aunts and two uncles and thirteen cousins. Out of the children, her older brother was the oldest. The rest of them were either just a couple of years older than her or younger. But her brother would have definitely seemed older than all of them. If what Killua just said is right, her brother was probably taken away by someone like what happened to her or he's still alive somewhere. "Do you know anything else?"

"No, that's all. I just felt the responsibility to tell you and so I did. My job is done so I'll be taking my payment now!"

"Payment? For two lines worth of information? I don't even have money on me."

"I don't accept money. I take chocolate as payment."

"Do I seriously look like I have chocolate on me?" She asked. He looked her up and down.

"Maybe. They say some people get a bit chubby eating chocolate so I'm assum-"

"Okay I get it, I'm fat. But I don't have any food on me unless you fancy licking on a tube of toothpaste. I'll buy you chocolate after passing the exam!"

"For now I'm fine with you telling me about what happened to your clan." He said. "I've got nothing better to do anyways. I slept last night so I'm not tired."

"... so you're just keeping me awake to kill time?"

"Let's just say it's a bit of both."

Himeko sighed.

"Fine, I'll tell you!"

She decided to tell him about everything she dreamt about that night. They were going to find out sooner or later and she had told Kurapika already. Besides, Killua didn't hide the fact that he was from an assassin family although he could have lost friends right then and there. Kurapika didn't hide the fact that he was after the Phantom troupe to get revenge on his clan. Leorio told them about his friend who couldn't be cured simply because they lived in poverty.

"So you felt like someone was following you and then suddenly you were knocked out from behind?" He asked. She nodded. "What happened after that?"

"I woke up in a place with other children. We were in a cell."

"A cell?"

"Long story short. Hearing about the massacre, thieves must have entered our household. They probably stole whatever they could find lying around; I never exactly went back to check what they took. I was taken by human traffickers to get sold off to someone who was willing to bid an amount high enough. Most of the leftover children including me were taken by an organisation that creates some kind of drug to create super humans."

"Super humans?"

"Yeah. They needed test subjects. Unfortunately not everyone survived the side effects. The very few that did were trained to become Royal Beasts."

"Royal beasts? So you were going to become one of those?"

"Yes, if I wasn't able to escape with some of the other kids that is. I spent the years after that working for others for food and a roof over my head."

"The irony in that." Killua commented. "Royal beasts are usually sold off to noble families to act as bodyguards. To think that someone from a noble family was about to serve another as one."

"You find it amusing?"

"Not at all, just very surprising. Life seems to have a lot in store for some of us."

"You're right. And if what you said about my brother is true, he might have ended up like me, or might have died from the side effects. If not, he might have escaped and is somewhere out there in this world and to find out who murdered my clan I must find my brother."

"I envy you. It sounds like you must have been really close with your family." He seemed a little jealous. "After all, my fate would have been in the hands of my parents if I didn't run away."

"You think so?" She asked. "When you put it like that, I feel like I can relate to you. If my clan was still alive, I would have still been trying to beat my brother. It was obvious that out of the two of us, he was going to be the next heir. He was the star of the family and all the attention focused solely on him. I felt that beating my brother at something and proving to be smarter and more capable than him would make my parents look at me too for once, but in the end I would study and study endlessly and still not scratch him. Looking back at it now, I feel like I've wasted my childhood trying to be better than my brother and sometimes I regret it looking at how normal children our age would play around. I sometimes feel envious of how Gon is able to smile so innocently. It makes me wonder whether those days I spent studying were actually worth it."

"Getting all the attention in the family isn't nice either. I would have rather be born as a normal, dumb child."

"I'm sorry for being a normal, dumb child." She said sarcastically. "I hated my parents who never looked at me the same way they looked at my brother. I ended up distancing myself from my brother who I loved when I was little. That just goes to show how much time can change a person. That reminds me, I told you about myself so now it's your turn."

"Me? You know I'm from an assassin family. My family has high hopes for me to take over the business. I have two elder siblings and two younger ones. I've been trained to become an assassin from a young age going through various forms of torture which was given to me by my older siblings or my mother." He thought of other things he could list. "I think that's about it. There's not much to know about me to be honest."

"Do you by chance remember any of the people who came to request to have us killed? Or do you remember why they came?"

"Sorry, we usually don't remember clients unless they are regular customers. Also we don't ask for the reason for the assassination, we just do it."

"You make it sound like a normal family business with the talk about the regular customers."

"It might not be normal for you, but in my world killing is part of our daily routine just like eating and sleeping."

The two of them soon ran out of things to talk about.

"Well, I'm going to head to sleep now. I grew up studying, not training to stay up three days in a row so I need my sleep. I'll buy you your chocolate once we're done with the Hunter exam." She soon dozed off.

"What am I supposed to do until morning now?" Killua asked himself. He looked around the room to see everyone asleep. He looked over at Gon and smirked as he got an idea. He picked up his pillow and threw it at Gon which Gon ended up catching in his sleep.

"Was he asleep all this time?"

Gon slowly opened his eyes and got up. He tightened his grip on the pillow before throwing it back to Killua. The two of them kept going and soon, some of the others in the room woke up due to the two giggling.

"Go to sleep you damn brats!" Leorio shouted.

Himeko on the other hand was able to sleep tightly. She finally got a new lead about her clan and thanks to Killua, she finally gained hope that her clan might have another survivor; _her brother_.

* * *

><p><strong>An** - Finally I was able to write a chapter with my own ideas. Happy New Year everyone ~


	11. Two different Resolves

The group slowly started to get ready to leave the room. Fifty hours have past and all six of them managed to stay alive although they were getting on each others nerves. They decided to step up a gear as they've already wasted a lot of time. Tonpa still tried to irritate the group here and there but other than Leorio, no one bothered dealing with him. The group finally came to the last door.

'There are two doors. The first path is long and hard and all six of you may pass. It will take you forty hours to get through this path. The second path is quick and easy however only four of you may pass. This route take you around three minutes.'

They looked at the time they had left. The long route was out of the question. There were two handcuffs and the second path will only open once two people are handcuffed to the wall.

"I've come so far, I'm not giving up!" Tonpa thought. "I suggested Leorio should volunteer. After all, thanks to him we've wasted fifty hours and we could have used that time to take the first path and all pass."

"What? You were the one who wanted to get us to fail no matter what. You should be staying back." Leorio argued back.

"Guys, we should all think of a way to get out together!" Gon interjected.

"I agree. We've come so far together, we can't leave anyone behind!" Himeko added.

"Can't you two read? It says we need forty hours for all of us to pass!" Tonpa yelled. "I'm not planning to stay here."

"I'm with Gon and Kou. We should try find another way out!" Kurapika said.

"What do you plan on doing?" Tonpa slowly moved towards a couple of weapons hanging on the wall and reached to one before Leorio spotted him.

"You bastard. You're trying to get rid of us!" Leorio shouted.

"You people are giving me no other choice." Killua started off. "I'm not staying behind either!" His nails changed into sharp claws.

"Not you too Killua." Gon frowned.

"Right now it's 3:3. It's a tie." Kurapika pointed out. "Unless we come with a solution quickly we'll all fail!"

Gon looked around. While Tonpa was swinging one of the axes around, he hit the wall and it broke.

"I've got an idea!"

He told everyone to voted for the first path and gave out the weapons. As the pathway opened, he instructed everyone to start breaking the wall in between the first and second path. The six of them took turns to break the walls with the axes but time was starting to run out.

"Wait guys, let me try!" Himeko said. Kurapika and Leorio moved out of the way. She stood in front of the wall that was nearly fully broken and gave it a few punches before it broke down completely.

"I never thought of that!" Gon said. "Good job!"

"Now what?" Killua asked. "We are nearly out of time."

"No we're not. Not if we use your skateboard." Gon said. They used Killuas skateboard and a few things they found in the room to make a cart. They got on and eventually they reached the goal just a few seconds before the timer was up.

"Gon, you're getting me a new skateboard!" Killua said after looking at the state of his skateboard.

Twenty five examinees passed and Gons group was the last one down. Lippo ; the examiner who was in charge of the third stage was quite impressed by Gons quick thinking. He was watching everything from the security room after all.

"That boy is quite smart. Digging a hole from the first path to the second path. I've never seen anyone do something like that before."

The remaining examinees exited the tower and were greeted by Lippo who presented them with a box. He asked everyone to step forward and draw a number from the box. Hisoka went first as he was the first one to complete the trick tower. After all the examinees drew a number, Lippo continued to explain.

"On that card, there's a number. You will be hunting the person with that number. We will take you to Zevil Island where you will be trying to steal the persons badge for a week."

Everyone suddenly covered their badges and put them into their pockets. Lippos ordered the candidates to enter the boat that will take them to Zevil island for the fourth stage. On the boat, of course everyone acted with caution. No one trusted each other anymore. Well, hardly anyone.

"Kou!" Himeko was looking out onto the sea before she was interrupted by Gons voice. She turned around to see Gon and Killua approach her.

"What is it?"

"Who did you get?" Killua asked.

"It's bad manners to ask who I got before telling me who you got first." She said. However she gave them a reassuring smile. "It's none of you guys."

"Great! We don't have any of you either." Gon smiled back.

"Do you two know who number 354 is?" She asked them. They both looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"Seriously, those wimps all took off their badges before I could get a glance of who my target is!" She complained.

"You took off your badge too." Killua pointed out.

"Yeah, but I only did it because it became a trend." Himeko answered which left the two boys dumbfounded. "Nevermind the trend, who did you two get?"

"I got 199. Any idea of who it might be?" Killua asked. Himeko shook her head. She didn't catch a glimpse of anyones badges.

"I got 44." Gon said. Himekos eyes widened.

"44? Hisoka?" She asked. Gon nodded his head. "I was hoping that none of us would have to deal with him, especially after what happened back in the swamp."

"Yeah, my hands still shake whenever I think about that." Gon added.

"Why did he have to pass all the previous phases anyways?" She asked.

"Careful. He might overhear you if you keep talking this loudly and he might decide to pay you a little visit while we are on Zevil Island." Killua warned her.

"Fine, I'll shut up as long as I don't get that little visit!" She said. "I'm going to go around the ship and try to find out who my target is."

"How are you going to make people tell you?" Killua asked.

"I'll just snoop around here and there. If that doesn't work, I'll try to force it out of them." She answered.

The boys looked at her with dumbfounded expressions again. All three of them parted their ways. Himeko and Killua went off to try and find out who their target is while Gon was thinking of how he could possibly pass this stage.

"Himeko!" Someone called Himeko while she was snooping around. It was Kurapika.

"It's Kou to you." She pouted at him.

"Ah, sorry. I'm still not used to it."

"I've got an idea then!"

"What is it?"

"The next time you guys call me Himeko, I'll get a dollar from you guys!" She grinned at him.

"Are you trying to use your friends as a way to get quick cash?" He asked.

"Well, now that you know that I'm sure you won't be calling me Himeko anymore."

He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.

"Fine, Kou it is!" He smiled. "But do you really hate your name that much?"

She thought about his question for a while before answering him. She previously told them to call them Kou since the term 'Hime' did not match her personality as it was too girly for her, but that was such an obvious lie.

"It's not the name I hate but the term 'Hime' and the responsibility that comes with it. Sure, it might be every little girls dream to be part of a royal or noble bloodline, having people pamper you and call you Hime or Ojou-sama and doing things for you but the responsibility that comes with that title is something no one at that age could imagine. I had to be smarter than everyone, more talented than everyone and if I failed I would have been a disgrace to the clans name. Although my brother would have been the true successor of the clan, I would have had to carry a lot of responsibilities too as the second in line."

"You wouldn't have failed your clan at all. For your age, you have quite a lot of knowledge."

"Unfortunately, for my parents that was no where near enough. Having a genius brother and all." She sighed. "You know what's really funny?"

"What?" Kurapika asked. Himeko seemed to find something quite amusing and he was curious to know what it was.

"I read a couple of books a year or two ago about this Princess wanting to explore the lands beyond her castle walls. She wanted to fall in love and marry a man who could look beyond her money and her Princess title. It was quite a popular story among young girls and even some teens. I wouldn't blame them though, it's probably what they call a womans fantasy."

"I think I do remember seeing a book like that a couple years ago."

"The truth is, even though a Princess would be curious of what the real world looks like, they would have no time to worry about it. Instead of breaking free from their castle life, just being able to break free from their responsibilities would be good enough for them." She took a quick break from what she was saying before talking again. "I wasn't born at the same status as Royalty, I'm glad I was just born into a Noble clan. I'm grateful that I was born with a roof over my head and getting at least three meals every day when kids around the world could only dream of one full meal but if my clan was still alive, I wouldn't have been able to decide my own future. My future, no my life would have been stolen from me. I would have lived as my parents' puppet."

Kurapika kept listening to her. He was from the Kurta clan while she was from the Inoue clan. Sure, they were both clans but the lives they lived were completely different. They were both isolated from the outside world but while Kurapika yearned to get a glimpse of the outside world Himeko just wanted to have some weight lifted off her shoulders. She was prepared to stay indoors all her life as long as she was able to get rid of the puppet strings used to control her.

When Himeko first told Kurapika about her clan and their brutal murder, he thought they had a lot in common. They both want revenge but that's pretty much all they had in common. The more Himeko spoke the more distant he felt. He couldn't relate to her as much anymore; it felt like Himeko was building a wall in between the two of them with just her words.

"I decided to lift the weight off my shoulders myself. I wanted to throw away the feeling of being responsible for a whole clan and the only way I could do that was by throwing away my title. Although there's no Inoue clan left, whenever people called me Himeko I felt as if I still had people left to please. I'm not Himeko anymore as I don't have anyone to please anymore. I'm Kou who is free from her past."

"Please stop." Kurapika whispered. Kurapika wasn't prepared to continue listening to her like he used to. He felt pathetic to have promised her to be there for her and lend her an ear but when he couldn't relate to her anymore he didn't want to listen to her anymore. He wanted her to listen to him instead. For some reason he wanted to break down the wall that was no separating them. Was he attracted to her? No, not at all. But he felt helpless to be alone again. He didn't want to be alone anymore, he didn't want to let go of Himeko who he felt a mental connection to.

"Kurapika, are you alright?" Himeko asked with a worried expression.

"Will you listen to me?" He asked.

"Sure, it's the least I can do. You don't have to ask me." She felt as though Kurapika was always there for her. She wanted to return the favour.

"Just like your clan, us Kurtas were isolated from the rest of the world but for different reasons. You are from a noble bloodline so it only makes sense that your clan wanted you to be away from anyone who could possibly harm you but for us, we isolated ourselves due to our eyes that turn Scarlet. They are said to be one of the seven most beautiful colours in the world." He started off. Himeko already knew this much about Kurapika. Not just her but Kurapika had told everyone that much. "When I was about to fall off a cliff while I was still a little boy, another boy from our clan saved me. Thanks to him, I made it out unharmed but because of me, his legs and eyes were injured and they slowly became worse. We became friends soon but I swore to cure him. However, our clan did not have enough technology to cure someone in such a bad state. I promised him that I will find him a doctor to cure him in the outside world. People of our clan have to pass a test to be able to roam the outside world and I soon decided to take the test as soon I was old enough and I passed. I left the clan to find a doctor for my friend and came back six weeks later to find my whole clan annihilated. Every single one of their eyeballs was stolen from them and before I knew it, I was the only one left in this world."

Himeko felt her heart sink when Kurapika told her about the massacre once again. She could truly relate to him. She knew the pain of being robbed your family in just one night. Unlike Kurapika, Himeko did not feel a wall in between the two of them. Instead, she thought that the fact Kurapika told her more about himself made them closer. She didn't feel alone and it warmed her heart. To be honest, it made a few tears roll down her cheek. She was truly grateful. Did she feel attracted to him though? Maybe!

"Hey, are you alright? Did I say something to upset you?" Kurapika was a little startled by the fact that she was crying. He's never seen her cry before.

"I'm just grateful that you told me all that." She said. "For all these years I was desperately trying to find someone to talk to like this."

"Thank you for listening." He thanked her wholeheartedly but she just shook her head.

"We are friends, we should skip all the formal thank yous." She smiled. The sky seemed so much clearer to her the past few days and she knew it was all thanks to Kurapika, Killua, Gon and Leorio. She remembered what Killua told her a couple nights ago and wanted to tell Kurapika. She was sure that he'd be happy for her.

"You see, I've told Killua about my clan too and he told me something important the other day." She started off. The fact that Killua knew something about her clan caught his interest. "According to him, my brothers body was not found. That means he might be alive somewhere out there!"

"Really? That's good to hear!"

"If I find him, I will know who killed my clan. I would know who to hunt down and I'm sure my brother is already on the hunt."

"You finally have a starting point. At least I knew who I was after all this time." Kurapika said. She agreed. She never too sure who or what she was after all this time. "By the way, didn't you say that you were from the main Inoue branch. Does it mean there are other Inoue clans? Maybe your might have gone there."

"I highly doubt that." She sighed. Let's say that the state of her family was quite complicated. "A few generations ago there was only one Inoue clan. It was once a peaceful clan but not everyone thinks the same. There have been many disagreements in the past but at one point, it got too much and consequently, half of the clan who believed in a wrong objective ended up being exiled. They ended up forming another branch of the clan with believes that differ from ours. Both clans stopped talking after that and lived separate lives as if we were never from the same clan to begin with. I doubt my brother would have gone there and I doubt they would have accepted him."

"You can try Kou! People change. This was all years ago, they might be willing to accept you and your brother after all you've been through." Kurapika encouraged her. "You should pay them a visit right after the Hunter exam!"

"I guess it won't hurt." She smiled. There was a moment of silence between themselves before Kurapika thought of something to ask her.

"What will you do after you found your brother?" He asked. She thought about it.

"I want to find out who killed my clan of course!" She answered. It was the same path that Kurapika chose; revenge. But she continued.

"But I won't go after them straight away. I will let them know that we are still alive. I will let them know that the Inoue clan won't die so easily. Sure, I've hated the way my childhood was robbed from me but it won't stop me. I will find my brother and rebuild the Inoue clan. He is the rightful heir and successor that my parents spent all their time and energy to raise. My parents never looked my way but I will make sure that their eyes won't leave me while they are up there! When I rebuild my clan I know the murderers will come back and I'll be prepared this time."

Himeko thought that Kurapika would be happy to hear her resolve but that wasn't the case. He felt as if she had built another wall in between them once again but this time it seemed like it was nearly impossible to break through.

"I thought we were alike, but we're different; opposites to be exact!" He thought to himself.

They were both after the same goal; revenge; but why did he feel so empty. He felt guilty at the thought of wanting her to feel the same emotions as him but he couldn't help the thought. She was still too naive, she was a child no matter how smart and capable she was. She lacked experience and she still hasn't seen the world for as long as he has.

Although their goal is the same, they are both taking different paths and only Kurapika knew this. He was willing to go down the ruthless and self destructive path worrying that his anger will slowly fade with time but she was still clinging onto her life, not wanting to let go of it just for revenge. She still wanted to live the years of her childhood that were robbed by her parents.

Kurapika had enough and needed time to think by himself. He decided to leave.

"Good luck." He muttered before leaving. Himeko wished him luck too thinking it was for the fourth stage but his words weren't meant for that. Kurapika knew she would pass. Instead, he wished her luck for her journey; for the path she was going to take for revenge or at least what she called revenge. He decided that he didn't want to influence her any further as he didn't want her to follow his path of self destruction.

The same goal, separated by two different pathways and two different resolves.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** I felt like I had to give her a heart to heart with Kurapika after she had one with Killua xD (but I don't think Kuapika didn't like it too much). I'm glad a lot of you like my fanfic and I'm sorry that I couldn't thank all of the followers and favouriters personally (maybe I should tomorrow). The story will continue next chapter with Zevil Island followed by the last phase and then onto the Zoldyck arc. I thought of an original arc after the gang separates after the Zoldyck arc as I'm not planning to let Himeko go through the heaven tower arc with Gon and Killua. So yeah, she will get her own arc (or a couple of chapters at least) where she will learn nen without any of the other main canon characters. I will introduce other Ocs to make up for it though but rest assured, there won't be any more love lines. If you are wondering whether she will meet her brother in that arc, no she won't! I will keep trolling her like Ging trolls Gon xD Okay, let me shut up before I reveal too much of it. I'm just really excited to write that arc and introduce the new characters who I will plan to make reoccuring :D Anyways, sorry for the long paragraph and let me shut up now since you've been reading too much of my nonsense. Bye ~


	12. Hunting and Hunted

The boat arrived at Zevil Island and the examinees got off.

"You will stay here for one week. During that week, you will have to hunt the person with the number you got. You will need six points to advance to the next round. The tag of the person with the number you drew is worth three points and any other tag is worth one. Your own tag is worth three points. I will now call you one by one in the order you completed the trick tower and you will enter the forest one after the other with 10 minutes in between."

"So basically the people who go in first will have an advantage." Gon said.

One by one, the examinees were called up and went inside the forest. Soon, Gons team was left since they were the last ones to complete the trick tower. After Killua, Gon and Kurapika it was finally Himekos turn. She confidently entered the forest and casually walked down the path.

"So I have a week to stalk eighteen people and find out who my target is." She thought. "Well, for someone like me it would take four days to find my way around this forest which leaves three days to actually find my target and take the tag off them."

Himeko sighed and kept walking. She wished she had a map with her although that wouldn't help her either. She decided that it's better for her to find some food and water and stock up before setting out deeper into the forest. Besides, the other examinees would definitely be further inside the forest by now so it's safer for her not to go deep inside for now.

After a couple of hours of aimlessly walking around, she has finally found a couple of trees with fruits and river. She filled up her water bottle before setting down to eat. She had already encountered two people while she walked around. That means that there are sixteen people left now. One of those must be her target. So far, everything was going smoothly for her.

Everyone apart from Gon was pretty much in the same situation as Himeko. They were aimlessly wandering around the forest to find their targets. Gon on the other hand was trying to find a way to snatch Hisokas tag off him.

Three days past and Himeko narrowed down her list to four people. During these days she had also encountered the person with her number who she managed to beat up before continuing. She kept walking and stopped when she heard voices coming her way. She climbed a tree, high enough so she couldn't be seen. This was something she did throughout the three days; you could say her tree climbing skills have improved quite a lot. She didn't want to fight a lot so she just snuck around here and there to find her target.

She sat there quietly, trying not to make a sound and watched. Luckily, it was someone who she hadn't encountered before. It sucked when she encountered a couple of people more than once. It turned out to be the Amori brothers; or the stupid trio as Himeko liked to call them. She watched them talk amongst each other and hiding as someone else approached.

"It must be one of their targets." She thought. "This is the perfect opportunity to check out their tags while they aren't moving."

She checked their tags but unfortunately none of them were her targets. That narrowed down her list to just one person. She still had four days left to find him, so she decided to wait and see how the brothers are going to take down their target.

"This could be interesting. Those three don't look like much individually which is why they heavily rely on teamwork." She thought. "I wonder who their target is."

The brothers all hid while Himeko was anticipated to see who their target was but disappointed when he came into view. One of their targets was Killua.

"I kinda feel sorry for them. Maybe I should warn them before provoke that kid." She thought. But it was too late since one of them jumped into action but Killua dodged. The other two were going to help but Killua held one of them as hostage.

"One more step and I'll cut his head off!" Killua warned. The two stopped moving. Killua looked at his tag. 198; it wasn't his target. If Himeko remembered correctly, Killuas target was number 199.

"If this guy is 198, one of you two might have 199. Go on, give me your tags. If not…" He gave them a sadistic smile before his claws lightly pierced his hostages skin. The two brothers gulped before throwing their tags to Killua.

"What did you say your number was again?" He asked out loud. The three brothers looked at him confused. They haven't noticed Himeko yet. "Stop hiding up there like a stalker. It's making me feel uncomfortable!"

Himeko climbed down from the tree.

"Yo!" She greeted the brothers with a smile who looked very surprised. "None of them were my targets unfortunately."

"Really? So you don't mind me throwing them away?" He asked her.

"Ehhh?!" The three brothers shouted insync.

"Nope, not at all. Throw them as far as you want!"

Killua shrugged and threw the two tags in opposite directions.

"You have four days left. You can try and find those two tags if you want to but I sensed someone else who is after them so you should hurry up." Killua told them.

"Someone else?" Himeko asked herself. "Was someone else watching?"

The Amori brothers ran off trying to recover their tags while Himeko and Killua remained behind.

"Have you found your target yet?"

"No. I found everyone else but my target. At least I know who my target is now. There is one place I haven't searched yet which is the mountains so I guess I'll check there next."

"Need help? I'm pretty much done now."

"No, I'll be fine. You can just go back and chill." She smiled at him before waving and walking off.

"Um.. the mountains are the other way." Killua pointed out. Himeko stopped walking and rushed in the opposite direction.

"I knew that. I was just testing you." She laughed nervously before proceeding to walk towards the mountains.

"Don't tell me that she has no sense of direction." Killua thought.

Himeko kept going down a path she found and she made sure she was going in the right direction by climbing trees to check whether the mountains were straight ahead once in a while. As she got closer, she could see the mountains much better. Hours of walking around and she found her target knocked out. She checked whether there was anyone else around before going to her target and checking his pulse. He was dead. His body was stiff suggesting that he had been dead for a long time now. He was probably killed by someone who wanted to get a closer look at his tag. What a horrible way to die.

She took his tag and decided to head back. She wandered around the forest endlessly and before she knew it, she only had one day left before the stage was over.

She decided to lie down in a safe place and get a bit of rest.

_"Himeko-sama? Himeko-sama, it is your turn to be it!" The voice belonged to a young girl who was younger than her but had similar features. You could tell that they were related._

_"Hey Sakura, you should ask Himeko-sama if she wants to be it first!" It was a slightly older boy who had the same black hair and blue eyes._

_"Seriously you two. Stop calling me Himeko-sama. It's Himeko! Plain old Himeko is fine!"_

_"Mother will scold us if we don't address you like that." Another one said. "Although your older brother Hakuryuu-sama will become the heir, we have to address you with the same amount of respect."_

_"Cut it out you all. I'm your cousin. Himeko is fine. If your mother scolds you, just tell her I told you to call me that."_

_"Himeko-sama, if you want I don't mind taking your turn to be it." Another one of her cousins said._

_"No, I'll be it. It's only fair that way. Besides, it's Himeko!" She pouted. The five year old Himeko was playing 'kick the can' with her cousins. It was a game she had read about in a book where the characters were all playing. She told her cousins about it and they have ordered one of the servants to bring them an empty can to play with. "I'll start counting so you all hide!"_

_Himeko placed the can down and closed her eyes before she started counting. As soon as she started counting, her cousins all ran around the yard trying to find a place to hide. Most of them hid in places so it was easy for Himeko to find them. It was something they all did when Himeko had to find them although she never liked it._

_After she finished counting, she opened her eyes and began wandering around to find her cousins. She walked past the hallway where she heard voices approaching them._

_"Your lecturer will be here in ten minutes. After the two hour class, we will bring you lunch. You will have half an hour to eat before the next lecturer will come. Afterwards, your traditional dance teacher has rescheduled tomorrows class for today. Your martial arts teacher will also visit you this evening to have a three hour training session with you in the dojo." The servant stopped talking as soon as he saw Himeko. "Good day Himeko-sama!"_

_"Good day." Himeko bowed back. Her gaze was averted to her brother. At this point, he was thirteen; the oldest out of all the children. He was also the only one who would never participate in their little games. "Hakuryuu nii-sama, would you like to play 'kick the can' with us?"_

_Hakuryuu didn't say a word and only spared his little sister a quick glance._

_"Himeko!" A sharp voice echoed through the hallway. Footsteps approached them at a fast pace. It was their mother. "Your brother has better things to do than play your silly little games with you. Sebastian, take Hakuryuu to his study room. He shall not be late to his lecture."_

_"Very well." Sebastian bowed before he left with Hakuryuu to the study room. Himeko and her mother watched them leave. After they've left, her mother turned to her._

_"Listen my dear." She started off. "I know it might be tempting to fool around at your age but you should realise that you are different from your cousins. You are smart enough to understand your position in this clan. I have explained a few times already that you will have to grow up to be just as smart and talented as your brother. You will have to support your brother when he becomes the head of the clan as his wife."_

_"But mother, I don't want to marry him. I simply want him to play with us."_

_"Nonsense. He is the heir for our clan, he has no time to be playing games. And as for you, you better sort yourself out sooner or later. Why do you think we gave birth to you? I married your father when I was just sixteen and we are both first cousins. We simply didn't want any conflict when picking a bride for your brother so we prayed for a girl and luckily, you were born as a girl. The Inoues are nobles that do not wish for their blood to be contaminated with the blood of commoners."_

_"I love brother as a brother."_

_"That's fine. No one told you to love him. When marrying, love isn't what we look for. We simply look for the best to marry the best. You will learn to look past your sibling relationship once you get married."_

_Her mother said her final words before she walked down the corridor until she wasn't to be seen anymore._

"Oi!" Himeko felt someone lightly poking her arm. "Wake up! You won't be able to pass this phase if you sleep through it."

Himeko slowly woke up to see Killua next to her. She looked around and remembered that she was still taking the Hunter exam. It was just a dream. She had noticed that lately she has been having a lot of dreams about her clan; especially after Killua had told her about the possibility of her brother being alive.

"Thank god, Killua you are here. I got lost for two days!" She bursted out in joy. "I thought I wouldn't be able to get back and fail!"

"What are you talking about? The meeting spot is just around the corner."

* * *

><p><strong>An** : One more chapter and then it's the Zoldyck arc. I can't write and publish the arc after that since I brainstormed a lot of ideas.

Also, let me explain the marriage thing in the Inoue clan since it sounds pretty messed up (although it's meant to sound messed up). The members in the clan marry within the clan so no one changes their pure noble clan. Also, I should have mentioned this in the story but I didn't get a good point to put this in. Himekos mother and father are first cousins and the mother was only able to marry the father since he did not have any sisters. It caused conflict between some members with potential brides since they all wanted their daughters to marry the heir. To avoid this, Himekos parents hoped for a daughter and thus luckily for them, Himeko was born. And no, Hakuryuu won't be a love interest before anyone assumes that!

Anyways, thank you for all the positive feedback. Thank you to all the people who've subscribed and followed and reviewed but also to everyone who has simply taken the time to read.

P.s - yes, their servant/butler is called Sebastian. It was the first name that came into my mind when I thought of the term 'butler'


	13. Passing the Exam

"Kou, Killua! You made it!" Gon waved as Himeko and Killua headed back. It seemed like Gon, Kurapika and Leorio also managed to get their opponents tags.

"I finished four days ago. I decided to go out on a walk and I found this idiot sleeping around the corner claiming she was lost." Killua explained.

"I walked around for two days after I got my opponents tag. How was I meant to know that the goal was right around the corner?"

"You managed to walk around the whole forest twice in those two days, how can anyone be so bad at directions?"

"I'm not bad, I just take my time and enjoy the scenery. Besides, how do you know I walked around the forest twice? I don't remember telling you."

"I was bored so…."

"...you stalked me? Wait, did you see me bathe?!"

"What's there to see? Even I have more curves than you."

"Hey Kurapika, is it just me or did they just start fighting when they saw us. It's hard to believe that they managed not to bite each others heads off in three days." Leorio whispered into Kurapikas ear.

"Indeed!" He agreed.

After everyone has settled down, they looked around to see who passed. Altogether, ten people managed to pass the Zevil island phase. The remaining examinees got back onto the airship and gathered up where the Chairman and his assistant Beans explained what the last challenge was.

The last phase of the hunter exam consisted of a series one on one match. The rules are simple, the examinees all fight against each other. If you secure one win, you will be granted a Hunter License. In the end, only one person will fail. If you kill your opponent, you're automatically eliminated.

The first match was between Hanzo and Gon. Gon made his first move which was anticipated by Hanzo, hence it was countered. Hanzo decides to strike.

"You can't win kid. If you don't want to end up dead, you better give up and try again next year."

These were the words Hanzo said as he continued to beat up Gon up to the point where it became unbearable to watch. Gon refused stubbornly and continued to get hit by Hanzo who clearly had the upper hand in this match.

"Hey, you're the Chairman. You should stop him. This shouldn't be allowed!" Leorio yelled at Netero but he just refused. It wasn't against the rules after all. One of the two would have to forfeit the match in order for this to stop. Gon had no chance to fight back at this point. He received one punch after the other.

"If you keep on punching him like that, I will take Gons place and kill you!" Leorio warned Hanzo and was about to step into the court but was stopped by Kurapika.

"If you step in now, not only you but Gon will also be disqualified for receiving help from outside." Beans said which stopped Leorio from moving any further.

"Can't we talk Gon out of this? At this rate he is going to end up in a pretty bad shape. Who knows whether he would be able to recover." Himeko asked everyone but no one replied. "Gon-"

She was stopped when she was about to call Gon.

"Stop. You'll only waste his breath on him. He won't be giving up anytime soon." Killua explained. He could tell by the look in Gons eyes.

"But-"

"No buts! It's got to do with a mans pride, you won't understand. Just believe in Gon."

These words were enough to keep Himeko back for a now. Hanzo started to get frustrated with Gons stubbornness.

"If you don't give up, I'll break your arm." He warned. Gon didn't mutter a word and screamed in pain when Hanzo held his word about breaking his arm. Once again, Leorio stepped forward.

"Don't stop me Kurapika. I won't stop until I beat that guy up." Leorio said to Kurapika.

"Stop you? That's the last thing I'll do." Kurapika was furious too. His anger caused his eyes to change into a beautiful scarlet red.

"I suddenly have the urge to break something with my bare hands." Himeko clenched her fists together. Her nails pierced through her skin causing drops of blood to roll down her hand.

"Stay calm you three. Don't do anything reckless. Stay quiet for Gon." Killua tried to keep the three calm although he himself wanted to personally break Hanzos neck at this point.

Hanzo began talking about his past and his training as a ninja and while he was too absorbed in it, Gon managed to break free by kicking Hanzo. Gon got back onto his two feet leaving the audience astonished.

"Can't we settle this without hurting each other? You won't surrender yourself, so I have to think of another way for you to surrender." Gon was thinking out loud. He somehow managed the lift the tense mood and make everyone around him laugh. Everyone but Killua. How could they laugh when Gon has obviously no chance against Hanzo?

Hanzo took out a knife and gave Gon one last warning. Gon didn't move an inch when he stabbed the knife into his forehead. It left Hanzo no choice.

"I surrender." He said and walked off.

"Eh? No, don't surrender. We can work out a way for the two of us to-"

Hanzo delivered a final punch which knocked Gon out before surrendering. Gon who was out cold was taken to the medical room to be treated. Gon is the first person to pass.

The next match was between Killua and Pokkle which Killua surrendered and walked off before any fighting happened. Pokkle was left staring in awe. He also passed.

Kurapika was up against Hisoka.

"Good luck, Kurapika." Himeko wished him. Kurapika gave them a nod and walked to the centre where he met his opponent, Hisoka. They got ready for the match and started. It was clear that Hisoka would have the upper hand even before the match started. After beating Kurapika up a bit, Hisoka leaned in and whispered something in Kurapikas ear before moving back to the sidelines after surrendering. Kurapika passed the Hunter exam.

"Congrats buddy!" Leorio congratulated Kurapika whose head was hung low. "What's with the long face?"

"I only won because he surrendered. Otherwise, I would have been killed."

"Stop sulking about it." Killua said.

"He's right. All you have to do is become stronger than he is." Himeko agreed with Killua. "Besides, now you aren't just Kurapika, you are Hunter Kurapika."

It lifted his spirits.

"Thanks."

The next match was between Himeko and Bodoro.

"I'm up next!" She chirped before heading off.

"Good luck brat. Show the old man what you're made off." Leorio cheered from the sidelines.

"Will do!"

"She's strong. You could say that she has the strength to tear down this pace all with just her hands." Kurapika explained. He was referring to the effect of the drug.

"You're right, she might actually be on par with me and I'm a professional assassin." Killua added.

"She did win the match with that guy in trick tower but wasn't that because he provoked her?" Leorio asked. Of course he didn't know about the drug, the royal beast or any of Himekos other secrets. She has only told Kurapika and Killua so far.

"No, she's a beast." Killua smirked. His eyes grew darker. He was looking forward to see Himekos full potential. "I can't wait to see how long it would take for the beast to tear down this place."

Kurapika who knew what he was referring to nodded at Killuas statement and watched intensely leaving Leorio confused.

Beans started the match between the two.

Bodoro spent a while examining his opponent. Himeko took this as the perfect opportunity to attack. She ran towards her opponent but was stopped.

"I surrender!" Bodoro announced making Himeko trip and fall flat on her face. "I don't fight little children, especially not little girls."

Bodoro walked back to the sidelines leaving Himeko with her head hung low.

"He thinks I'm weak…." She thought to herself.

Himeko slowly walked back to the side.

"Congrats, you passed!" Kurapika cheered for her only to get a quiet mumble from her in return.

"To be honest, I expected a longer match. Especially after all the build up from these two." Leorio teased her.

"Don't listen to him. You aren't just Kou anymore, you are Hunter Kou!" Kurapika tried to cheer her up with the exact same words she used on him making Killua and Leorio snicker at the back.

Killua was called up next. His opponent was Gittarakur. It was the creepy dude with the pins stuck in his head. Killua coolly walked off to the center but seeing his opponent made his friends worry.

"He'll be alright, right?" Himeko asked the other two. The two elders looked at each other before giving her a reassuring nod.

Beans started the match between the two but something was off about Killuas opponent. He pulled the pins stuck in his head out one by one causing his face to change. After seeing this, even Killuas expression changed. He didn't seem so confident anymore.

"Aniki…" Killua managed to let out a word out of his mouth.

"Aniki?" Everyone asked.

"Kil, you've been a very bad boy. You ran off after injuring Milluki and mother. Mother cried so much after you left." Gittarakur said to his little brother.

"I knew it. I knew it all along. He is a spoiled brat." Leorio commented from the sidelines while pointing at Killua.

"Yeah, that's right!" Himeko agreed.

"Mother cried tears of joy, she was so happy to see you grow into a man." Gittarakur continued making Leorio and Himeko fall over in astonishment. "Come on, we have to go home. You're not ready for the Hunter exam yet. I will tell you when the time comes."

"No. I don't want to leave. I want to make friends with Gon and everyone."

"Friends? Why would you need friends?"

Killuas brothers words made the three watching from the sidelines furious.

"You don't need friends, Kil. You're an assassin."

"Killua, don't listen to him!" Leorio shouted.

"Yes brat, Gon is already your friend. You two became friends long ago." Himeko added.

"Yeah. Now beat your brother up like you did to every one of your other opponents!" Leorio commanded.

"Gons already a friend, huh? That's no good." Giffarakur thought. "I know, if I kill that boy he won't come in Kils way anymore."

He moved towards the door that led to the room Gon was resting in but his way was blocked by Kurapika, Leorio, Himeko and Hanzo.

"Hmm.. if I kill him now, then I'll be disqualified right?" He thought. He looked at the chairman. "It's not against the rules to pass the exam and then kill him right?"

"There's no such rule." The chairman replied.

"Okay, I'll just have to win this match." He moved towards Killua who backed away in fear. "Say Kil, shall we continue this match?"

"I surrender." Killua managed to stutter out these words before walking back with his head hung low. At this point, no one approached him. He looked like he needed time to himself.

The next match was between Leorio and Bodoro. The two got ready to fight when suddenly, Killua interjected and killed Leorios opponent. While everyone was caught up in the commotion, he used to opportunity to walk out without looking back and did not return.

Killua was disqualified and the 287th Hunter exam ended. Although no one was in the mood to celebrate, Beans let the new Hunters to a conference room for a presentation. Gon who had just woken up and heard about all the commotion from Satoz interrupted the presentation and confronted Killuas older brother whose real name turned out to be Illumi Zoldyck.

He grabs Illumis right hand and breaks it out of anger.

"Apologise to Killua." He demanded.

"Why should I apologise?"

"You don't deserve to call yourself Killuas brother. Tell me where you took him to!" Gon demanded.

"My, you make it sound like I've kidnapped him. He went back on his own will."

At this point the Chairman decided to interrupt the conversation.

"We were just discussing that. Your friends have already filed a complaint."

"Killua has been acting strangely during the match with Gittarakur, or should I say Illumi. It is highly likely that Killua has been hypnotised or manipulated into killing Bodoro." Kurapika explained.

"Not just that. Killua and Illumi are both from a family of professional assassins. Having the skill to manipulate and hypnotise someone while in that business is quite likely especially since it helps with the task to assassinate someone with ease. We request for you to investigate this further." Himeko added.

"Also, Killua could have just helped me win my match. If that is the case, I should have been disqualified too." Leorio pointed out.

"That's enough! There were no signs of manipulation so those are mere speculations. Why would Killua need to help Leorio who had a greater chance of winning in the first place. Bodoro was already injured giving Leorio the upper hand when it came down to combat. Killua is a smart child and he should have been able to realise that." The chairman explained making the trio sit back down in their seats.

"Putting that aside, isn't there something fishy about your win too?" Pokkle questioned Kurapika. "Did you and Hisoka make some kind of deal? What did he whisper in your ear before he surrendered?"

"I'm not obligated to tell you."

"None of this matter!" Gon interrupted. "We all passed and Killua didn't, but Killua would have been able to pass but he didn't. I will rescue Killua and I won't let you see him again!" Gon told Illumi.

After everyone has settled down and accepted their wins, Beans continued with the orientation and afterwards, they left the conference hall.

Outside the building, Gon once again confronted Illumi who had told him the location of their so called hide out. It wasn't exactly a hide out as it was a famous tourist attraction and everyone knew where they lived. Their destination was Kukuroo mountain. Not only Gon but Kurapika, Himeko and Leorio were all willing to go and rescue their friend together.

Gon left to have a talk with Satoz while Pokkle helped Kurapika and Leorio find the exact location of Kukuroo mountain and book tickets while Himeko decided to change her clothes after having a bath. She changed into the spare set of clothes she had in her rucksack and left to find the other three so they can set off to Kukuroo mountain.

"Ah, feels back to shower back in civilisation!" She stretched while finding her way back.

"Had a nice bath?" Someone was behind her. She backed away before turning around to see who it was.

"Hisoka…" She muttered.

"Yes, I'm glad you remembered my name."

"Who wouldn't?" She thought to herself.

Hisoka quietly examined the young girl with wide yet sinister grin.

"Say, those earrings are quite an unique item. One of a kind I'm guessing. Something passed down from your grandma?"

"Is he trying to initiate a conversation?" She asked herself. She couldn't walk away at this point. Who knows what Hisoka might do when she has her back turned towards him.

"Your face reminds me of someone I saw a couple years ago. The exact same face. Blue eyes, black hair, and the same mole under the mouth. Quite an interesting lad I'd say."

Her eyes widened.

"You…"

"Don't worry. I won't kill you here so you're free to go and rescue your friend. After all, I have high hopes for all of you. It would be a waste to just kill you off."

Himeko kept staring at him blankly.

"Go on, your friends must be worried about you." He told her. "Don't worry, we'll see each other real soon."

She spent another minute in daze wondering whether she should ask him or not. She decided not to ask him for any more information. He could be bluffing; just killing his boredom by saying nonsense and seeing her reaction. She decided to leave.

"The path you'll walk down looks intriguing. I'll have fun watching you walk down that path, Kou-chan no _Himeko Inoue_."

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Yaay ~ with this the Hunter Exam arc is done! I'll start writing the the Zoldyck arc when I have time since it's 1am here. I kept telling myself that I need to complete this arc today xD. Anyways, I know this chapter was all predictable and might have been boring since all I did was add the Himeko match and her dialogues BUT what do you think Hisoka meant? How much does he know? Only I know the answer muahahaha!

Anyways, thanks for all the reviews once again and all the followers and favoriters. Also, thanks to anyone who actually bothers to read this fic. Also, if you left a review with a question as a guest I will reply in the review section, just to let you all know so I don't end up talking to myself.

Anyways, that's all for now. Tune in next time when we go rescue Killua (yay)


	14. Opening the Testing Gate

"Wow, look at the scenery!" Himeko exclaimed while looking out of the train window.

"Kurapika, pass me some of the snacks!" Gon told Kurapika. Kurapika quietly passed a bag of snacks to Gon.

"Be quiet you two, this isn't a school trip." Leorio told the two kids to keep their voices down. Kurapika was quietly typing away on his tablet. Everyone who passed was given a small tablet along with their hunter license.

"What are you doing?" Leorio asked him.

"I'm researching more on the Zoldyck family." He said while reading a big chunk of text. "They seem to be quite famous although no one has seen them before. Even their estate is a tourist attraction."

"At least we won't have any trouble getting there." Himeko commented.

"Kurapika, can you try using your license to find out about my dad?" Gon asked.

"Sure, what's his name?"

"Ging. Ging Freeces!"

With a Hunter license, it should be no problem to find out about other hunters but for some reason access to Gings profile was blocked.

"I can access the information." Kurapika said. He tried accessing the page a couple more times before giving up.

"Wow Gon, your dad must be someone really important." Leorio said to Gon to which Gon just grinned. "That reminds me, I feel like I was kept in the shade about Kou."

"Kept in the shade?" Gon asked.

"Yeah, it seems like everyone knows something that I don't know."

"I guess it won't hurt telling you now." Himeko said.

"You can start telling us about your powers!" Gon said. "You were really strong back then. How long did you train?"

Himeko told the two everything she had told Killua and Kurapika. From her clans massacre to her being sold into a lab by human traffickers.

"You were sold into a research lab?" Leorio asked. Himeko nodded.

"Hundreds of children were sold to a team of researchers to try out a new drug."

"Drug?"

"Yeah, I believe it was called B-2405. I'm not sure what it stands for but it's supposed to alter your DNA and make you stronger."

"B-2405, huh? I think I've heard of it before." Leorio told her. "I thought it was just a rumour. I heard about an experiment that went horribly wrong, it killed most of the test subject. The drug was simply too strong even though it was given to them in very small dosages. The side effects were too overwhelming for most of them too handle. But I thought it was a rumour. I didn't think it would be true."

Leorios knowledge on this subject impressed Kurapika, Himeko and Gon. He said he wanted to become a doctor and it seemed like he was well informed when it came to the medical field.

"You're right. Less than one hundred children actually survived the side effects." Himeko stated.

"What would happen to them afterwards?" Gon asked.

"They would be trained until they were strong enough to sell into a wealthy family as body guard." She continued to explain.

"The Royal Beasts." Kurapika added. "I don't know much about them but they are elite bodyguards that work for the wealthy in the background."

"Hey Kurapika, try finding information on the Hunter website." Leorio suggested. Kurapika didn't hesitate to type 'Royal Beasts' into the search box.

Access Denied.

"It would have been too good to be true." Himeko commented.

"Seems like the experiment is still kept very secretive and confidential that even Hunters can't access the information." Kurapika explained.

"Have you experienced any side effects yet, Kou?" Leorio asked.

"I don't really like using my strenght much so I haven't experienced and after effects. But when we were given the dosages, light side effects included nausea, high fevers, vomiting, headaches and dizzy spells. However, as they increased the dosages, these became a lot worse and there were a lot more serious complications." She started to explain. "Heartburn, coughing up blood, muscle pain and abnormal heart rhythms were present in most. A lot of children died of heart complications and strokes but most children killed each other."

"Killed each other?" The three listeners were shocked.

"For some reason a lot of the children just lost control. They weren't themselves anymore; it's as if their DNA was completely altered. They became blood thirsty beasts."

"That's awful." Gon said.

"I was able to escape along with some of the other children, however I don't know where the other children are right now or what they might be doing." Himeko said.

"If a lot of higher ups are being quiet about this then there is a chance that the research is still going on to create even stronger superhumans." Leorio told them. He had a point there. "If they have a lot of supporters, no matter how messed up the research is and no matter how unethical it might be, it would still be going on. They probably have a lot of wealthy people backing them up with their money so all the government can do is keep quiet and prevent the information from being leaked out into the public. If it did leak, it would cause an uproar!"

"Do all wealthy people have those bodyguards?" Gon asked. "I mean Kou is also from a wealthy background isn't she?"

"This is a really touchy and controversial topic so not everyone would even dare to support unethical research. It's most likely underground bosses supporting and investing into these guards." Kurapika continued to explain. "In other words, this research should be illegal but the government can't do much about it other than staying quiet about it."

After finishing the conversation on Himeko, Kurapika once again typed away on his tablet.

"What are you looking at Kurapika?" Gon asked.

"The date for the annual Yorkshin City auction."

"Why, is there something you want to buy?" Leorio asked.

"No, but they will definitely go to steal. They will be there!"

"By they, do you mean the Spiders?" Himeko asked to which Kurapika nodded.

"After the match, I met with Hisoka who told me that they'll be there."

"Hisoka? You trust that bastard?" Leorio asked.

"I think Hisoka might be telling the truth. He even told me about seeing my brother a couple years ago." Himeko told them. "Hisoka is looking for entertainment through us. He definitely wants to see Kurapika go against the Spiders and watch from a distance but you should think twice about it Kurapika."

"No, I decided that I will go no matter what. I've been waiting for this chance and I won't let it slip away."

Kurapika was more determined than ever but looking at him like this the other three could only worry.

"What are you planning to do Leorio? You got your license." Himeko asked to change the subject.

"Me? I will apply for Medical school. Now that I have a Hunter License I don't have to worry about the cost. I just have to study for the test."

They were all fixed on their own goals but right now they all had the same goal in mind. They had to find and bring back Killua.

The crew arrived at the Republic of Padokia and took a tour bus to Kukoroo mountain. Luckily for them, there was a tour bus going to Killuas estate. The bus stopped at a large stone wall and the tour guide got out of the bus followed by all the tourists. She started going over a brief history of the Zoldycks and how no one has ever seen them. Apparently, even a single photograph of them could sell for millions.

While she was talking, two men walked towards the stone wall and a small wooden door by it.

"How do you even know these infamous assassins even exist if you haven't seen one before. We'll put an end to the urban legend." One of the two men spoke.

"No, no, no, he's got it all wrong. They do exist. Besides, Killua was running around all over the place so plenty of people would have seen him." Himeko thought.

The marched towards the door when a older man was trying to stop the two but they only pushed him out of the way. They left to go inside.

"Jeez, now I'm going to get shouted at for feeding Mike at odd hours." The old man sighed. A couple of moments later, screams were heard. The screams were followed by complete silence. The rest of the tourists watched intensely and were shocked when a huge hand dropped off two sets of human bones through the small wooden door. Everyone ran back inside the bus and headed back down the mountain apart from the four who remained to bring their friend back.

"Excuse me, do you work here?" Gon asked the man.

"Yes, and who might you be?"

"We are friends of Killua." Kurapika told him.

"Killua bocchans friends? That's rare, he has never brought back any friends."

"Well consider this the first time then!" Himeko said. "That's besides the point, we were wondering whether we could see him."

The man thought for a while before taking everyone to his little hut and phoning the butlers residence however it seemed like they didn't get permission to see Killua.

"That doesn't matter, we'll just go inside and rescue him." Gon said stubbornly.

"I can't let you do that. I can't feed Killua bocchans friends to Mike." The man refused to let them. Gon however didn't give up. He did not want to use the testing gates since he was against the whole idea of getting tested to see your friends. He was fixed on passing through the wooden door until the man decided to show them Mike. Mike was not an ordinary dog; you could say it was a mere machine. It kills any intruders and the man, or Zeboro; which was his name; was incharge of cleaning after Mikes mess. Mikes eyes scared everyone, especially Gon. He was someone who would easily get along with any animal but Mike was different. Mike only lived to kill anyone who isn't allowed on the premises.

"I told you that going through that door was no option." Zeboro said. "The only way to get through into the premises is through the testing gates."

Zeboro explained the principles of the testing gates. They are simply there to test whether you're worthy to step into the Zoldyck estate. The smallest gate weighs 2 tons and they get heavier they get bigger.

"Gon, Kou, stay back. Kurapika and I will try." Leorio said before stepping forward. Gons injuries were still not completely healed so he was told to stay back. The two tried to force their way through and open the two ton gate with as much force as they could push with but with little success. The door didn't move an inch.

"Let me try!" Himeko said. The two stepped back and let Himeko try to open it. She took a deep breath before pushing with all her force but surprisingly, even for her the gate wouldn't move an inch.

"Does this gate even open?" Leorio asked Zeboro but Zeboro just decided to demonstrate. He used his force to open the first gate.

"I'm a little out of shape." He said while everyone looked at him with awe. The gate actually opened. "Killua bocchan used the third gate when he came back."

"Third gate?" Gon asked. "That would be twelve tons!"

"Gon, it's actually sixteen tons." Himeko and Kurapika could only say while sighing at Gons poor math skills.

"Killua must be really strong. I can't even open the first gate." Himeko thought. She looked at the gate before asking whether she could try again. Zeboro agreed.

She walked up to the gate and once again started pushing with all her force but nothing changed.

"Strength isn't the only thing this gate tests. It's also testing your ability to control your strength." Zeboro told them. "It seems like you are quite strong but your abilities to control that strength are lacking. No matter how strong you are, if you can't master your own strength, it could be the death of you."

"I want to try again, just once more." She was determined. She stood in front of the gate but this time she tried not to just use brute force like she did previously. Zeboro noticed that and watched intensely to see whether she could actually open the gate this time. Gon, Kurapika and Leorio also watched.

Himeko gave it one final push before the gate open just a bit before it shut again. The force of the gate closing caused her to fall back.

"Look, you did better." Zeboro smiled at her. "I will train you all to open the gate properly. It usually takes months to do but I think a couple of weeks is will do for you all."

Zeboro opened the gate once again and let everyone through. Gons eyes were fixed on Mike who was quietly sitting near a couple of trees staring at them with his empty, soulless eyes. They went to little house that was in the forest. Zeboro opened the door for them. The interior seemed pretty cozy and simple.

They were all given a set of slippers to wear around the house. Without further delay, they took of their own shoes and slipped on the slippers but tripped and fell flat on their faces when then tried to walk.

"What the hell is this?" Leorio shouted.

"Slippers. They weigh 20kg each." Zeboro smiled at them.

Himeko was the first one to get up. She found it a bit hard to get used to wearing such heavy shoes but she was able to manage a lot better than the others.

"Oi brat, don't walk around so casually with those 20kg slippers on. We understand that you're a superhuman but don't rub it in!" Leorio yelled at Himeko.

"Training has begun!" Zeboro announced.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Sorry for the not so exciting chapter! I kinda want to skip the Zoldyck arc now since I'm not going to change it much from the original Zoldyck arc. To be honest all I'm doing is adding an extra character... Well, I decided to write this arc so I'll try to keep it as short as possible and won't go into too much detail since we all know what happens. I'll try and finish it in 2-3 chapters (hopefully 2) before I move onto the 'Inoue Clan Arc' and 'Nen training arc' (Yes I even named the arcs).


	15. Going Separate Ways

Zeboro decided to train Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio for the next one and a half weeks while Gon was told to rest (although he did secretly sneak out to train by himself). Kurapika and Leorio were mainly trained to increase their strength while Himeko got trained to control her strength. Despite their different training, everyone including Gon had to wear a suit that weighed 50 kg and later one it was increased to 100 kg. Their daily utensils weighed more than 20 kg each.

Meanwhile, Killua was in a cell being tortured by one of his older brothers; Milluki. His mother and younger brother Kalluto paid him a visit to tell him the news about his friends being at the estate. His mother is convinced that they will fail to open the gate and Milluki mocks the fact that they came all the way to their estate knowing that they lived in a completely different world from the Zoldycks. Killua thought otherwise. He confidently told his mother and brothers that Gon and the others will definitely open the gate.

Ten days later, it was finally time to see the results of the training. The crew along with Zeboro assembled in front of the testing gate. They took their suits off and tried to open the gate one by one. Gon and Kurapika were able to open the first gate while Leorio and Himeko managed to open the second gate.

They were now worthy to step on the Zoldycks estate. Zeboro points towards the mountain where they could find the Zoldycks mansion and they all leave to get Killua back. They followed a path that would eventually lead to the mansion and came across a young girl who stood in their way.

"I won't let you go past this line." She said as she drew a line across the path. She was the butler apprentice; Canary; the girl that took out a Blacklist Hunter along with his men when she first joined.

Gon steps forward and when he took a step past the line, he was beat up and thrown back away from the line again. Gon got up again and tried again only to be beat up again. Gon spent hours trying again and again but would only get beaten up.

"Why aren't you stopping him, isn't he your friend?" She shouted at Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio who just watched Gon quietly. They did not answer.

"I won't give up until I see Killua!" Gon declared as he walked towards her again and stepped over the line. She was taken back by Gons determination. "Aren't you going to hit me? I stepped over the line."

Canary took a few steps back.

"Please save the young master." She pleaded before she was knocked out. They ran towards Canary and Leorio checked whether she was still fine. While Leorio, Himeko and Kurapika were caught up in the commotion, Gon looked where the shot came from to see a lady with a sun umbrella and a vintage dress along with a young girl with short black hair in a kimono.

"How dare you, you make it seem like we are treating Kil badly!" The lady shouted at Canary.

"You…"

"I'm sorry for the late introduction. I'm Killuas mother and this is Kalluto." Kikiyo introduced herself. "I've got a message from Kil. He said 'Thank you for coming, but I can't see you all right now.'"

"Tell Killua that we will stay here for a couple more days before leaving." Gon replied to her message from Killua.

"I will do."

Kikiyo left soon after followed by Kalluto who was staring daggers at Gon. After they left, Leorio decided to tell them Canarys condition after bandaging her.

"It's nothing serious. She is just unconscious." He told them and the others were relieved.

In the mansion, Milluki was still torturing Killua. Killua mockingly apologized for hurting him before running away which angered Milluki even more. Their conversation was interrupted by a phone call from Kikiyo. She told Milluki that Killuas friends were near the butlers office to which Milluki just asked his mother why she didn't drive them away when she met them.

"If you touch any of them, I'll kill you." Killua threatened Milluki after pulling off one of his chains. After putting down the phone, Killuas grandfather; Zeno; entered the room and told Killua he's free to go to which Milluki threw a fit for spoiling Killua. Killua easily broke free and mocked Milluki for not being sorry about stabbing him before running away. Zeno told Killua that his father wanted to see him before he left. Killua left the cell and Milluki continued to throw a fit about everyone spoiling Killua to which Zeno just replied by telling Milluki that Killua is special. Milluki agreed about Killua being talented but criticised his weak mentality.

During this time, Canary woke up and volunteered to take Gon to the Butler's office where they can contact the Zoldyck family straight via phone. Gon asked whether it wouldn't trouble her but she just said it won't. She proceeded to take them to the butler's office.

As Gon and the others were going to the butler's office to contact the Zoldycks, Killua headed to his fathers room. His father; Silva; greeted him and told him to come and take a seat. Killua felt a little uneasy having a father to son conversation until Silva asked him to tell him about his friends and the hunter exam. Killua quickly became more comfortable to talk about his friends and the exam. They both had a couple of laughs over Gons naivety. Killua then decided to ask Silva something.

"Dad, do you remember telling me about the Inoue clan?" He asked his father.

"Yes, what of it?"

Killua didn't know whether he could tell his father or not. After all, he didn't know what kind of relationship he had with the Inoue clan.

"I've known their head for quite a long time know. We weren't exactly friends but we weren't exactly business partners either. You could say that we looked out for each other in one way or the other." Silva started to explain. "He was quite an eccentric guy which I liked but he liked to keep quiet about his family."

Killua knew that Silva wasn't the type of guy who would go around and make friends with everyone he meets. He knew that Silva and the Inoue head were fond of each other for a reason, and he did not want to know the reason.

"Why are you asking?" Silva asked.

"The youngest child of the head is still alive. The oldest might also be alive." He tried to keep his answer as vague as possible.

"So, Hachirou's kids are still alive? That bastard didn't even tell me he had two children." He said. He looked at Killua who was quiet. He knew that Killua knew more but decided not to ask. He decided to change the topic. "Do you want to see your friends one more time?" Killua looked up. "You don't have to be scared. I realised that you and I are different after you ran away. I can't raise you the way I was raised. If you want to see your friends, I'll allow you as long as you promise me to never betray your friends."

Killua promised and with that, he left the room. He came across Kikiyo who tried to convince Killua by telling him that his friends had already left. Killua shot her a glare before moving past her. Killua went to the Butler's office where Gotoh told him that his friends are on the way. Killua ordered him to inform him immediately when they arrive.

When Gon and the rest have reached the butler's office along with Canary they met Gotoh; the head butler. He has told them that Killua was on his way and offered to play a game while waiting for Killuas arrival. They decided to play a game of coin tossing where Gon, Himeko, Kurapika and Leorio had to guess which hand the coin landed in. The first few rounds were pretty easy as they managed to guess everything correctly. However, Gotoh decided to make things more serious. If someone gave the wrong answer, they are out. If they all failed, they won't be able to see Killua again. Also, they had a three second time limit and if they didn't answer in the given time, Canary's life is in danger.

The game of coin tossing got a lot harder than what could be called the practice rounds. Leorio gave the wrong answer at one point followed by Himeko in the next round and then Kurapika in the following leaving only Gon behind. Gon requested a knife to make a cut on his swollen eye to reduce the swelling which improved his vision before Gotoh continued. Gon was able to guess correctly for the next few rounds and the game ended with Gotoh and the rest of the Butlers giving them a round of applause and apologized for making the threat as it was only meant to be a joke.

"What a tasteless joke…" Himeko commented only loud enough for Kurapika and Leorio to hear to which the two nodded.

Killua entered the room and a smile grew on his face as he saw Gon and the others.

"Gon!" He exclaimed cheerfully before looking at the others. "And um…. Kurapika, Reorio and you!"

"What's with the long pause?" Kurapika commented.

"It's Leorio, not Reorio!" Leorio corrected him.

"Well, at least he called you by a name." Himeko pointed out.

Killua ignored the three and laughed at the bruises on Gons face while Gon commented on how Killuas face was no better. After the reunion, they decided to leave after bidding Canary and the other Butlers farewell.

They took the train back and told Killua about everything that happened while they were at the Zoldyck estate. During the conversation Kurapika asked Gon why he didn't use his Hunter License to get the tickets. Gon explained that a couple of people helped him pass the Hunter exam including Hisoka who gave him the badge during the fourth phase. He told them that he does not want to be indebted to him and will only start using his license after punching Hisoka and returning his badge.

"Do you even know where Hisoka is going to be?" Killua asked Gon.

"Nope, not at all!" Gon smiled.

"Then how are you going to fight him?" Killua started shouting at Gon. "You can only fight him when you know where he is!"

"I know where he will be." Kurapika interrupted. "In September, there will be an auction in Yorkshin city. Hisoka told me that the Spiders will assemble there and it's very likely that Hisoka will be there too."

"So I guess that we'll be there too in September, right Killua?" Gon asked Killua.

"I guess it can't be helped." Killua sighed.

"What are you all going to do now?" Gon asked.

"I'm going to find a job as a Hunter to get me into the auction before September." Kurapika answered them.

"I'm going to prepare for my entrance exams before entering medical school." Leorio told them. "But I guess I don't mind meeting up in Yorkshin City in September if you three are going to be there, right Kou?"

"Yeah." Kou nodded.

"What will you be doing?" Gon asked her.

"I'm going to try visiting my relatives from the side branch." She told them. "I'm not sure if they'll be willing to accept me but I can just give it a try, right?"

"Right!" Kurapika agreed. He was glad that she decided to visit the other clan after he had told her to. "By the way, do you even know where their mansion is?"

That's when she realised.

"Now that you mention it, I don't." She rubbed her neck making all of them look at her with dumbfounded expressions.

"How are you going to find out?" Leorio asked. Himeko got out her Hunter Tablet.

"I'm going to try finding it on the Hunter website. After all, no matter how secretive we are, the Inoue clan does employ Hunters from time to time." She said confidently. She typed away and found the location. "Found it."

"Really? Where is it?" Gon asked.

"It's in the middle of no where!" She sighed. "I would have to walk quite a lot. There is no transport around there."

"How are you going to get there without getting lost?" Killua asked. "You suck at directions."

"Well it's not my fault that we are not some kind of tourist attraction."

"How about we just book the tickets for now?" Leorio asked. Leorio, Kurapika and Himeko booked their tickets online. Kurapikas flight was first followed by Leorios. Himekos flight was an hour later. The only ones who didn't book a ticket were Gon and Killua who still haven't decided where they wanted to go or what they wanted to do.

"I can show you something you can do on your tablet that might help you get there." Kurapika offered.

"Really, you'll do that?" Himeko asked.

"Well if you are as hopeless at direction as Killua claims you are, we can't just let you search a whole island with no transport for a mansion." He said. Himeko was more than happy when Kurapika offered to help her. After all, they didn't speak much after the conversation they had back on the ship a few weeks ago. She started getting a hunch that Kurapika was trying to avoid her at times.

But before she could hand him her tablet, Killua took it off her lap.

"What was that for?" She asked. Killua didn't answer and just kept typing something while everyone was quietly looking at him. "Oi, I asked you a question!"

"Shut up, I'm working." He cut her off.

"Jeez, if you wanted to play on it you could have asked first." She complained. Killua just ignored her and gave her the tablet back after he was done.

"When you get off the plane, press this icon and turn the GPS on. After it's turned on, it will give you the directions to get to the place. I made it foolproof so not even an idiot like you would end up walking around the whole island twice."

"Thanks…. I guess." She was slightly taken back.

"Just don't get lost. I don't want us to wait in Yorkshin city just because you ended up on the other side of the world."

"Doesn't Killua sound like a tsundere?" Leorio pointed out.

"Shut it old man!" Killua shouted. He found himself embarrassed. He may be brought up as a cold hearted assassin but when he gets complimented or when someone thanks him he can't help but get embarrassed and shy away.

"Baka, it's not like I wanted to help you." Leorio mocked Killua in a girly tone. Killua started arguing with Leorio while the rest just laughed.

When they were at the airport, they promised to meet up in Yorkshin City on the first of September. Kurapika, Leorio, Himeko and Killua exchanged phone numbers before Kurapika and Leorio bid their goodbyes and left. Himekos flight was an hour later so she decided to stay behind for a little while.

"What are you two going to do anyways?" She asked them. "I mean, you still have time until september."

"I guess you are right." Gon agreed. "Killua, what are we going to do?"

"We are going to train of course!" Killua scolded Gon. "Do you think you can beat Hisoka when you can't even beat Hanzo?"

Killua picked up a stick and drew two faces on the ground with some distance in between. One was Hisoka and the next one was Hanzo. He extended a line from Hanzo around ten metres.

"Your level is around here!" He shouted from back there.

"That kinda pissed me off." Gon muttered. "Well, where are you then Killua?"

Killua thought for a little while before using the stick to point somewhere a few meters after Hanzo.

"I'm so humble." He grinned to himself.

"What about Kou?"

"Don't worry. I don't want to know!" She didn't want to know. There conversation was interrupted by an announcement.

"Calling passengers for the flight to Kioto."

"I guess that's my cue to leave." She told them. "Make sure to train real hard before we meet again."

She picked up her rucksack and remembered something. The two boys watched her roam through her rucksack to find something.

"What's wrong Kou?" Gon asked. She looked like she found something.

"Before I forget." She threw something at Killua and he caught it. "It's the payment I promised you."

He opened up his hand and found a small box of chocolate.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I just bought one that appealed to me." She said. "Anyways, I'm off."

"Good luck Kou!" Gon waved.

Himeko got off the flight after four hours. She spent four hours sleeping on the plane since she hasn't gotten any proper rest since she started the Hunter exam. She couldn't help but worry what would happen at the mansion.

After leaving the airport, she turned on the GPS and clicked on the icon Killua told her to click on. It told her to take a taxi to Mount Ataago. According to the information on the tablet, she can take a taxi until she reaches the mountain but she would have to walk the rest from the mountain.

She had enough money for a taxi ride and took a taxi to the mountain and got off. She looked at the tablet which told her the directions in details. She had to enter a forest that was next to the mountain. Thankfully, the directions were quite easy to follow even for someone like her.

After four hours of walking, she came across a tall stone wall. She remembered that their mansion also had a tall stone wall surrounding it. She decided to climb over it with caution and climbed down.

This side of the wall looked very different from the side she came from. The trees were nicely kept, there were fields of flowers that were carefully arranged according to their colours and there was a clean stone path. It reminded her too much of her mansion. She followed the path and ended up at another gate after two hours with a wall surrounding the place.

"The mansion should be past here if this place was built after the original." She thought. She walked up to the gate and found two guards.

"Hey you, stop right there!" One of the guards commanded. Himeko stopped walking.

"Of course, I forgot that there would be guards around the place." She thought.

"Who are you? Do you realise that you are trespassing on private property?" The other guard asked.

"I'm Himeko Inoue, the youngest child of the head of the main Inoue household, Hachirou Inoue." She said. The guards blinked a couple of times before they started to laugh.

"Main Inoue branch? They died in an accident four years ago." One guard laughed.

"Listen kid, just because you have black hair and blue eyes doesn't make you part of the Inoues." The other guard explained trying to keep a straight face.

"What do mere guards like you know about the Inoue clan anyways?" She asked furiously. "You are employed by the head along with the other higher ups in the clan but that's about all you would be told."

"Kid, we are going to give you another chance to leave on your own. If you don't, we will kick you out by force!"

"I'm not leaving because I am the daughter of Hachirou Inoue." She said stubbornly.

"You brat." One of the guards muttered before he raised his hand but was interrupted as the gate opened from inside.

"What's all the noise about?" A boy asked. "Is this really how you treat a guest of the Inoue clan? You're portraying us in a bad light."

The guards quickly got on their knees and apologised to the boy.

"I'm not the one you should be apologising to. Apologise to her!"

The guards turned around and bowed a couple of times. They quietly went back to their positions on either side of the gate. The boys gaze turned from the guards to Himeko whose eyes were stuck on him.

_"Hakuryuu onii-sama….."_

* * *

><p><strong>An -** I know I said I'm going to finish the Zoldyck arc in 2 chapters but I tried to fit the rest in this chapters (but it turned into a really long chapter). Also, it's finally time for the OC centred arc (yay)! And she met her brother at the gates. Will he recognise his sister or did he forget her after the incident? Will the other Inoues accept her? Also, what is Silvas relationship with Hachirou? Find out in the next arc! Once again, thank you for all the follows, favorites and reviews :D. I guess some of you might be getting annoyed since I say that every chapter but I'm going to continue saying this at the end of every chapter!

P.s - tsundere Killua ftw xD


	16. Meeting the Side Clan

_"Hakuryuu nii-sama?"_

The boy turned to look at her. Black hair, blue eyes and a tall, slender built. That's how Himeko remembered her brother, but now that she has taken a closer look at the boy, he had the same features but it wasn't Hakuryuu. It wasn't her brother.

"Ah, sorry. I mistook you for someone else." She apologised. The boy seemed to be intrigued by her features. She had the same features as everyone else in his clan, but who exactly was she? What drew the most attention though were the sapphire earrings she was wearing.

"Those earrings. Who are -"

"Ah, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Himeko Inoue, daughter of the late Hachirou Inoue; Head of the main Inoue clan." She cut him off before he could ask her who she was. She was feeling really nervous meeting someone who is a distant relative of hers after such a long time.

"My name is Hakuren Inoue, I'm the eldest son of Gorou Inoue; the current Head of our Inoue clan." He bowed back.

"I-it's nice to meet you, Hakuren-dono." She bowed once again. She was nervous enough to stutter. It was a little unlike her character, as an individual Himeko was quite confident mainly due to the way she was brought up in her clan.

"I think Hakuren would do, there's no need to be so formal. After all, we are related in one way or the other."

"Do you really believe me when I say I'm the daughter of the head of the main clan?"

"Your earrings." He pointed. "There are only two pairs of them that exist in this world. We have one pair and the other clan had the second pair. No one apart from people within the clan know this so the fact that you have a pair must mean you are from the other clan."

"Oh, so these are like ID cards!" She exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon?" He was slightly taken back by her sudden outburst.

"Ah, I'm really sorry!" She bowed once again.

"No, it's okay!" He smiled. "It's just rare to see someone so energetic around here."

"So I guess things are the same around here as they were back home." She thought.

"I'm sorry for keeping you at the front gate for too long, let's go inside."

Hakuren led the way inside to the mansion. On the way, Himeko saw quite a few people from her clan. She was a little surprised to see a lot of people that look like each other as she wasn't used to it anymore. Whilst walking down the hallway, a lot of eyes were looking her way. Everyone was wondering why this outsider looked just like them.

"This is the guest room. Please rest in here and I will let my father know about your arrival." Hakuren said as they arrived to a traditional japanese room. He opened the door for her and closed it after she stepped inside.

"Well, this certainly brings back memories…" She thought. She looked around the room and decided to put her rucksack in one corner before sitting down against the wall.

Hakuren seemed to be quite nice, his mindset was different from the members back home. She hoped that everyone in this clan was this open minded. Her heart beat quite fast thinking of all the possible things that could happen next. She could either be greeted with hugs, or kicked back out. If she does get kicked out, she won't have anywhere to go until September.

A few moments later, a couple of maids entered the room.

"Ojou-sama, we brought proper clothes for you to change into." One of them said emphasising the word 'proper'.

"Proper? Does it look like I'm wearing a curtain?" She thought to herself in a sarcastic tone.

Her clothes did stand out quite a lot and not a lot of people would have seen a girl in shorts and a t-shirt. To be honest, it was unheard of for someone on this side of the wall to wear something like that. She remembered that not a lot of people would be allowed to go past the first wall. Only higher ups would be able to go into the 'real world' past the second wall. Most servants and guards lived in the area past the first wall and before starting to work there, most of them would have to agree to cut contact with the outside world. Yes, even most of the servants had to cut contact with the outside world just so there isn't any information leaked.

They brought her traditional robes to wear. The robes were a combination of a light and a darker pink. They also brought a gold head ornament. They proceeded to dress Himeko in the robes and later one of them did her hair.

"Feels weird having others dress you after such a long time." She thought while she was getting her hair done. After the maid arranged the hair ornament, she left along with the other maid. "I guess I'll have to wait."

After half an hour, she heard footsteps coming towards her room. The door opened and outside was a beautiful woman with long black hair and a dark purple robe. The servants who were standing on either side of her bowed as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

Himeko stood up and bowed as the woman entered the room.

"Himeko, right?" She asked as she approached the girl.

"Yes, ma'am!" Himeko stuttered. She caressed Himeko's cheek when she stood in front of her.

"You take after your mother." She smiled at her gently. "The last time I saw her was when we were both children, but no matter how long ago it might have been, I can never forget her face."

"My mother?" She asked. "Do you know her?"

"Yes, she is a cousin of mine. I used to be in your branch of the clan before my parents and my sisters moved to this clan."

To avoid internal conflict, members of the main clan would be allowed to move to the side branch if both clans agreed. Compared to the side clan, the people of the main clan were more pacifistic and didn't like to get involved in any form of conflict while the people of the side clan thought that the only way to obtain more power and to become more influential in the world is to become stronger. However, as soon as you decide to move to the other branch, you cannot move back. Due to this, the number of members in the main clan decreased by a lot.

"I'm truly happy to see that you are still alive, Himeko. Putting our clans conflicts aside, we are still a big family and we were all broken when we heard the news about your side of the clan being murdered." She said. It warmed Himeko's heart. All her worries flew away. She wasn't nervous to meet the other members of the clan anymore and was sure that she found a new home. The people she met so far were all different from how she imagined them to be but then again, time changes people. Not everyone will remain close minded for a long time.

After a small conversation, the woman left the room. She told her that her husband; the Head; was currently in a meeting and will see her as soon as he is done.

While waiting, Himeko looked through her rucksack for her phone. There was a message on it.

'Kou, Kurapika, Leorio, I hope you are all doing fine. Killua and I decided to train and make some money at the Heaven Arena! Can't wait to see everyone again in September - Gon'

The message seemed to be from Gon but sent through Killua's phone, since Gon did not have a phone. There was also a picture attached of Gon and Killua in front of the heaven arena.

Just that moment, another message arrived.

'Just finished buying books for the medical exam. Good to see that you and Killua decided on something to do. - Leorio'

Leorio sent a reply to Gon's message with a picture of him sitting at a desk frowning while looking at the piles of papers and books. It made Himeko laugh.

"These guys never change!" She thought to herself. She decided to reply too.

'I arrived at the mansion (without getting lost….too much). I've met an aunt and a cousin of mine and so far everyone has been nice to me. I'm still really nervous though and I haven't met the Head yet. My aunt said that he will be having a talk with me… so scared! . - Kou'

She sent the message to them along with a picture she took showing a peace sign while flashing a nervous smile.

Another message came through from Gon wishing everyone good luck. Leorio and Himeko also replied wishing everyone good luck but there was no message from Kurapika, no matter how long she waited.

"Maybe he's busy." She thought. "He did want to find a job afterall."

There was a voice outside the door.

"Ojou-sama, please follow me." One of the servants bowed. She put her phone back and got up. She walked out into the hallway before one of the servants closed the door. One of them led the way with Himeko walking right behind him. The other two walked close behind her.

As they were walking down the hallway, eyes were still stuck on her. They were all curious to who this girl was and why she was treated like someone so important since her arrival.

They arrived in a large hall room with a 'stage' where the head of the clan sat. His wife, Hakuren and a girl were sitting next to him. The other major clan members were lined up on either side of the room facing each other. There were four on both sides; all men.

"I have brought her as you've requested, my Lord." The servants bowed. The Head has dismissed them afterwards and the servants left the hall, leaving only Himeko alone in front of the leaders of the clan. She tried not to show any fear by trying to control her shaking left hand with her right hand. There was a silence in the room as everyone was looking at her and she couldn't bring out any words to break it.

"Please, introduce yourself!" The Head finally broke the silence. The air felt a lot lighter now that she has been given permission to talk.

"I'm from the main clan, my name is Himeko Inoue, the second child of Hachirou Inoue. I survived the massacre four years ago." She introduced herself without stuttering.

"You managed to escape?" He asked.

"Yes, I managed to escape and live alone for four years."

"Four years, huh? That's a really long time!"

"Yes." She agreed. He did not ask any further questions, so the room was in total silence again. She decided to ask something instead.

"My brother also made it out alive. I was just thinking that he might have come here."

"Your brother?" He asked. "Unfortunately, we did not have any other visitors from your clan."

"I see." She was disappointed in his response. She hoped that her brother would have maybe dropped by at some point in the past.

"Don't let your head hang so low, he could show up in the future, right?" He smiled at her. He was right, she had only recently decided to stop by at the side clan so maybe he would come by in the future. "Oh, how rude of me. I haven't introduced myself yet."

He stood up and he was followed by his wife and children.

"I'm the head of the side branch, Gorou Inoue." He introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Himeko bowed.

"This is my wife, I'm sure she has already had a conversation with you earlier on." He introduced his wife who was standing on his right. "This is Hakuren Inoue, my eldest son and also the heir to the clan. You already met him by the gates and he has shown you in." Hakuren was standing on his left side. "Next to Hakuren is my second child, Hanako Inoue."

"Hakuryuu and Himeko, Hakuren and Hanako. It's like we are counterparts or something like that." Himeko thought. The girl was around Himeko's age, there was probably only a year or maybe two difference. Her hair was longer than that of Himeko's and reached her waist and her fringe was clipped back. Unlike the other three who were standing next to her, she did not smile. She seemed a little cold and distant than the others.

Gorou stepped down from the 'stage' and walked towards Himeko.

"You've been through a lot." He patted her head. "From now on, you'll be a child of mine just like Hakuren and Hanako."

"Thank you, that means a lot to me."

"I will be throwing a banquet to celebrate your arrival tonight with the whole clan. I will formally introduce you to the clan then." He said. She felt honoured to have a celebration for her arrival. The side clan was a lot different than she initially thought. She thought that the clan was a lot more violent and ruthless, but they turned out to be the opposite of what she thought. It made the pacifistic main branch clan look pathetic with their forceful approaches.

"I'll see you tonight then." He smiled at her. "Hakuren, escort her back to her room."

"Yes, father." Hakuren excused himself to escort Himeko back into her room.

Hakuren led the way back to the guest room she was staying at with Himeko following him.

"Could you show me around the estate instead?" She asked him. "I'd probably go insane if I were stuck in a room by myself until evening."

"Sure, if that's what you'd like. I never really thought that you would want to walk around so I never really offered to show you around. But then again, you spent four years beyond the walls so I can understand."

Hakuren showed Himeko around the mansion first. It reminded her a lot of the mansion she lived in. It was a traditional japanese mansion with many rooms to occupy all the members of the clans. There was also a yard that was in the centre of the mansion. There was a big space of land surrounding the mansion where children were usually allowed to play. Then there was a huge wall sealing off the area with a large gate guarded by guards. The area past the gate also belonged to the clan. The radii of this area was a couple of kilometres and there was a little village for the servants and guards to live. The area was surrounded by a second, even taller wall, which Himeko somehow managed to climb. Past the second gate was the forest and if you kept walking you would eventually reach the mountain. The clan also own most of the forest apart from the bit near the the mountain. There was a second forest on the other side of the mountain which isn't owned by the clan.

"This feels so nostalgic. It feels like back home!" Himeko said happily. They were taking a stroll in the area past the first gate.

"Say, how is the world past the second gate?" He asked. Hakuren was curious of what the real world looked like. He had been outside a few times, but he wasn't able to get a real taste of it.

"The real world?" She asked. "It's cold, harsh and scary. Having lived in luxury and being thrown out into the real world was scary. I never liked it out there, to be honest I felt safer within the gates. I was all alone for four whole years."

"What are the people like out there?" He asked. "The servants pamper us in here, so I want to know how it is out there."

"It's not much different. Money is what matters most outside, the more money you have, the more people will obey you. As someone who didn't have a penny out there, I had to work a lot just to get a roof over my head."

Hakuren's fantasies of the real world soon vanished after hearing Himeko talk about it. Of course, she did not tell him about being sold into research but she did tell him that things like that happen outside.

"That sounds horrible. To think that people can be so cruel. It makes me feel blessed to be born into this clan."

"Yeah, I thought it was horrible too until quite recently." She continued. "I managed to make friends. Friends who accepted me for who I am and friends who looked out for me, even though it was just for a while."

"Really? Tell me about them!" He said. It was rare for anyone from the clan to have any proper friends. They only had their servants and their relatives to play with.

"I'll start off with this boy called Gon." She started off. Her tone became a lot more cheerful and bright. She wasn't talking as Himeko anymore, it was Kou that was talking instead.

"Gon? That's a strange name!"

"Yep, and he is just as his strange as his name. He is on an adventure to find his father but can you believe that he is only my age?"

"Really?"

"Yes. He is so cheerful and I've never actually seen him be negative. You know, there was this one time where we were lost and he used his nose to follow the scent of another friends to get us out. He also uses a fishing rod to do everything besides fishing." She laughed.

"Sounds like someone I'd like to meet." He was listening to her intently. "Is there anyone else?"

"Yes, there is Leorio."

"Leorio? Is he also your age?"

"Nope. He looks like he is forty but he is actually nineteen."

"I can picture that a bit." Hakuren said as he tried to imagine him, but it didn't look like it was a pleasant image he saw.

"He came off as a self centered and narcissistic guy at first, but he is actually kinda cool. He wants to become a doctor and wants to save people without charging them any money. He is currently studying to enter a medical school."

"That's really nice of him." He said to which Himeko nodded.

"There are two others. They are Kurapika and Killua. Who do you want to hear about next?"

"We'll go with Kurapika first then."

"Kurapika." Himeko thought for a while. "He is someone who seems to understand me the most. He lost his family, no his entire clan just like me and is the only survivor. He is really mature and brave and stands up for what's right. He is also a really good listener and let me just add that he is really smart and good looking too."

"Sounds like you're really fond of Kurapika."

"Yep." She grinned while feeling her cheeks heat up a little. "He is the one who suggested that I should come and visit this clan. If he hadn't told me, I probably wouldn't have had enough courage to come and I wouldn't have met any of you."

"He sounds like a great guy." Hakuren commented. "What about the other one? Killua, right?"

"Killua?" She started thinking. "Well he bickers a lot and acts like a child but he is pretty smart at times. He is quite a good fighter and really strong. I think he is only older than me by a few months, but he was the strongest out of all of us. However, I feel like I can relate to him in the sense that we both had our future decided by us. Thinking about that, I feel a little sorry for him since although he tried to run away, he couldn't escape for too long until his brother found him."

"Escape?"

"He is the heir of their family business." She explained. She didn't mention the fact that their family art was assassination though.

"So in a way, he is like the two of us." Hakuren said.

"I feel like I can relate to him at times, but at other times I feel like we lived in completely different worlds."

"I think I understand what you mean. It's a bit like you and me. We are both from the same clan, both the children of the heads but we are different."

"Enough of me, you should talk about yourself Hakuren-sama." Himeko was curious of how the other Inoues lived.

"I already consider you as my sister just like Hanako, so you should call me brother instead. Think of me as another brother just like Hakuryuu." He didn't like how formal Himeko was. "You really reminded me of Hanako when I first saw you at the gates which is why I probably believed you were who you claimed you were."

"I don't think I look a lot like her. I mean, we do have the eye colour and the hair colour in common but the whole clan has the same eye and hair colour." Himeko disagreed. "I think your sister is prettier to be honest."

He couldn't help but smile at her honesty. Hakuren proceeded to talk about the clan and Himeko just listened to him. Hakuren turned out to be just like Hakuryuu; smart, talented and charming. He was the type who was good at everything he did. The only difference of course was that Hakuren was a lot more approachable than Hakuryuu. Her brother used to play with her and their cousins when he was younger, but he became a lot more distant and quiet after he became older. She was glad that Hakuren didn't turn out the same way.

After walking around for a few hours, Hakuren decided to escort Himeko back to the room she was staying at. Not soon after, the same maids from earlier came in with a new set of clothes that were meant for a more formal event. After getting dressed, she was escorted into a large dining hall that had multiple tables, enough for everyone in the clan to sit. Himeko was taken to the table with Gorou and his family.

After everyone in the clan arrived, Gorou decided to announce the arrival of Himeko to everyone in the clan.

"I have gathered everyone in the clan to celebrate the arrival of Himeko here. She survived the massacre of the main Inoue clan a couple years ago. We have all mourned about the loss of our brothers and sisters in the main clan. No matter how much dispute our ancestors had between themselves, they were still part of our family. From this day forth, Himeko Inoue is part of this clan." He announced. "Feast to your hearts content as from today onwards, I have a third child I will raise next to Hakuren and Hanako."

With that announcement from the Head, the mood cheered up and the members happily greeted Himeko and welcomed her to the clan.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Wow, this chapter is nearly 4000 words long... Anyways, how do you like the side clan so far? Any favorites yet (I will properly introduce other members of the Inoue clan in the next chapter)

Once again thanks for favouriting/following/reviewing. It really cheers me up when I get a e-mail while studying.


	17. Hakuren and Hanako

During the banquet, Himeko decided to tell Gorou and his wife the stories of the Hunter exam. For her, it was quite an exciting time since she got to meet Gon and the others so she happily shared the story with everyone.

"Wow, you took the Hunter exam?" He asked, still not able to believe.

"Yes, and I have a Hunter License to proof it too." She said with a proud and satisfied grin. "But of course, I had help from my friends I met during the exam."

"My, what a smart girl you are Himeko." Gorou's wife smiled proudly.

"She is quite talkative too. We spent more than an hour talking earlier on the day." Hakuren added.

"That's because Hakuren nii-sama kept asking questions for over an hour." Himeko added making the couple laugh whole heartedly.

"She has quite a bright and witty personality too." Gorou commented. "Your parents must have been really proud of you."

"To be honest, I'm nothing compared to my brother. He was our clans pride. My mother always used to say how he could possibly become one of the best heads in the history of our clan."

"You must be really proud of your brother yourself." Hakuren pointed out. "You seem really proud whenever you speak of him. I really want to meet him the more you speak of him."

"Speaking of Hakuryuu, if he is alive like you said then we'll help you find him." Gorou told her. "I'll do everything in my power to find your brother. It's the duty of a parent to make their children happy after all."

"Thank you very much, I would really appreciate it." She said. "But, I have one more request."

"What is it?" The couple asked.

"I want you to help me find the ones responsible for my clans death." She told them. "I'm sure you have strong troops so it will assist me with my quest."

"If that's what you want, I'll find the murderers and behead them myself." Gorou offered.

"No, you don't have to go through the trouble and get your hands dirty."

"I'll consider it my duty to avenge my brothers and sisters from the other clan." He told her firmly. "It seems like something else is on your mind Himeko. What is it?"

"I actually wanted to rebuild the main clan after finding my brother again, but I'm thinking whether it would be better to join the two clans back together. After all, we consider each other as family so we do not have any reason to live separately anymore." She explained. "Maybe after rejoining the clans, we can reform it. It might be hard for you to let go of the older beliefs but I personally think it's for the best. We can give the members freedom and knowledge of the world outside as I think that we can learn a lot from the people who live outside the walls. We can reform the rules of marrying within the clan as there are many people outside who would be better marriage partners. We can form alliances with other noble clans by marriage and by this, we can create more peace and avoid a lot of conflict between clans."

Everyone on the table listened intently and seemed to have a couple of different reactions to it. Gorou's wife seemed to be a little taken back by Himeko's will to change the clan and Gorou seemed surprised but also amazed by her ideas, however, he also felt a little threatened by her knowledge of the outside world. He felt like this girl could do just what she said, which he did not want at all.

Hakuren on the other hand was impressed by Himeko's courage to stand up and talk about her own believes because in actuality, he never had the courage to stand up for his own believes.

"Merging the clans does sound good, right dear?" Gorou turned to his wife who agreed. The couple managed to cover up their expressions and change the topic. But to be honest, he did like the idea of merging the clans; after all, the main clan did have a mansion and a bigger land than the side branch. "Himeko has quite a lot of good proposals, don't you think? I think she'll be a great help to the clan. You should learn from her Hanako!"

It was the first time the couple gave attention to their daughter who was sitting there the whole time.

"I just wish Hanako would be at least half as cheerful as Himeko. You should spend more time with Himeko and learn from her. She is bright, light-hearted, selfless and sounds like a good future leader. She is also very beautiful."

Himeko found that the conversation quickly became tense. The couple were just using the opportunity to put down their daughter. Hanako looked like she felt very uncomfortable with her parents pointing out her flaws and comparing her to someone else. It wasn't just Hanako, but Himeko noticed that Hakuren couldn't do anything but sit quietly and not do anything about it. Himeko felt uncomfortable too. She could relate to Hanako a little too much, it was almost as if she was Hanako at some point in her life. Yes, that was it. It reminded her of how her parents would compare her to her brother all the time but this time, the roles switched. She was being compared to.

"I'm sorry." These were the only words Hanako could bring out. It hurt Himeko to see her like that. When looking at Hanako, Himeko thought that she was looking into a mirror. A mirror to the past, or a mirror to an alternate reality where her clans massacre never occurred in the first place. A reality where she had never been through physical torture and hardships but a reality where she was still stuck playing the Princess she never wanted to be.

"Please stop!" She said. "I'm sure Hanako-sama capable of a lot of great things. She is a lot prettier than me, graceful and elegant. If you give her time, she will become better than me."

It was something Himeko wanted to say to her parents but she never had the courage to stick up for herself, so she decided to stick up for Hanako who she thought of her mirror image.

"My parents always compared me to my older brother, but once I was able to decide my own future, I grew into the person I am right now. If you give Hanako-sama the same freedom, she'd be able to exceed your expectations for sure." Himeko affirmed. The couple couldn't do anything but listen to her quietly.

"Fine, if that's what Himeko wants then we'll do it." Gorou smiled. "If you think our daughter can grow into a fine young woman, then we'll believe you."

With that, the banquet continued. Himeko noticed a slight smile on Hanako's face which made her happy. She never had anyone to stand up for her so she decided to stand up for someone who she saw as herself. Himeko continued to talk about her travels, making the couple laugh a couple of times here and there.

After the banquet finished, Himeko was once again approached by the other members of the clan and they quickly grew fond of her. Four years ago, she wouldn't have been able to make so many people grow fond of her. Hakuren was once again asked to escort her back to the room she was staying in. They walked down the hallway in silence until Hakuren stopped walking.

"You're really amazing. You changed the atmosphere of the clan in just one day and stood up for what you believe. I'm ashamed to say this, but I've never had the courage to do so." He confessed. He turned around to face her and gave her a 90 degree bow. "Thank you so much for coming to the clan, thank you so much for standing up for my sister."

"Hey, stop it." Himeko interrupted him. He raised his head. "An older brother should never lower his head to his younger sister. You said that to you, I'm the same as Hanako-sama. To me you are the same as my older brother and Hanako-sama is a sister to me."

With that, Himeko left to her room. Hakuren was glad Himeko came to the clan. He believed that she could make a change and he greatly admired her for that. Although he told her to look up to him as an older brother, he felt like he was the one looking up to her. He felt like Himeko could be the moon that can light up what seemed like an endless night.

In Himeko's room, maids came to help her change out of the clothes she was wearing and prepared her a futon to sleep on. She decided to lie down as soon as they left and decided to plan the days ahead.

She was thinking of planning to go and search for her brother in a couple of days. The sooner she starts, the better. It would be a good idea to start the search near the old mansion and finding some clues around there. An injured boy would have caught the eyes of many, but she also had to consider the possibility of him not being alive anymore too. It's been four years since the incident and he was severely injured at that time. He also encountered Hisoka which according to her was bad news itself. As she was deep in thoughts, she heard a voice outside the door.

"Excuse me? Himeko-sama, are you asleep?"

Himeko got up from her futon and look towards the door. It was a quiet and timid voice.

"I'm still awake. You can come in!" Himeko said. The door slid open. It was Hanako. "What brings you out here?" Himeko asked. Hanako decided to come inside the room and close the door.

"Thank you for earlier." She bowed.

"You and your brother are really good at thanking people, aren't you." Himeko sighed.

"You're right, thanking people is one of the few things I'm good at." She admitted. "I was happy when you stood up for me."

"I know, you were smiling throughout the banquet." Himeko pointed out.

"Really? You noticed? Ah, that's so embarrassing!" Hanako covered her cheeks in embarrassment.

"Look, you can be pretty funny." Himeko told her while chuckling. "You are just putting yourself down. You don't need me to do stand up for you, you can do that yourself! You are capable of that."

"You think so?"

"Yes." Himeko nodded. "If not, then this older sister or younger sister, whichever I am, will help you until you can stand up for yourself."

"I'm eleven."

"That means I'm a year older than you. I'm twelve!"

"Eh? So you are older. You don't look it though."

"What do you mean by that? If you cut your hair shorter, added a front fringe and drew on a beauty mark underneath your mouth you'd look the same as me. I don't know what you're talking about."

"But I'm a little taller. I also have a bigger chest."

"Seriously, you remind me of this guy I know. I'm twelve for goodness sake, some girls just grow boobs later than others. Watch, in a couple of years I'll be taller than you."

"So, you're challenging me?"

"Well if you want a challenge, you got yourself a challenge!"

The two girls found themselves talking to each other for quite a long time. Hanako wanted to know more about Himeko's adventures so Himeko told her. Hanako then decided to give Himeko a make over.

"You know, you'd be really popular among boys if you take better care of yourself." She said. "You probably are already though."

"Really?"

Himeko got out a few things from her rucksack and Hanako decided to do Himeko's hair for her.

"You know, I always imagined girls with a short ponytail to look cute." She said as she combed her hair. She got a rubber band from Himeko's rucksack and tied her hair up in a ponytail before handing her a hand mirror.

"Well?" Himeko asked. "What do you think of it, Miss Stylist?"

"Hmm… you know, you might actually be more popular among girls than boys." Hanako joked. "You look like a pretty boy!"

"Fine, it doesn't suit me." Himeko took of the rubber band. "I'll just leave it as it is."

"That's not what I meant! Maybe pigtails would look cute."

"Nope. I'm not letting you do my hair."

"Eh? What about a braid?"

"Nope." She refused. "Besides, how does your hair look in a ponytail? I'm curious."

Hanako combed her hair and put it up in a ponytail.

"Hmm…. take it off now. You look cute!" Himeko said pouting in dissatisfaction.

"Don't be so upset about it. You'd probably look good with long hair. You look cute with short hair too, I doubt I'd be able to pull it off."

"You really think so?" Himeko asked with sparkling eyes. Hanako just laughed. The two kept each other company and Hanako decided to stay in Himeko's room for the night. They both shared a futon since it was quite large.

"Promise me to introduce me to all your friends, okay?" Hanako requested but fell asleep before Himeko could answer her. Himeko got up and noticed that one blanket was not enough for the two of them. It was quite late so she doubted that many of the maids would still be around the mansion so she decided to go and ask for one herself.

She walked down the hallway and came across a room that still had lights on. People were still talking inside. She heard one of them mention her name.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Short chapter, sorry. I've already got two longer chapters written so I'll publish them sometime this week. Bye for now ~


	18. Sick of Lies

"My Lord, that girl has too much knowledge of the outside world. It could become a threat to our clan in the future if she stays." She heard a voice from the inside say. It sounded like a couple of men were inside the room talking to Gorou.

"It's a whole clan against one little girl." She heard Gorou say. "There is not much she can do by herself in the clan but in a long run, her presence in the clan would be a great advantage to us."

"But my Lord, if she is able to somehow convince your son to change the clan in the future, he will do it."

"I've thought of that problem already. I'm planning to send Hakuren away for a few years so he doesn't get too influenced by that girl. We'll shape him so he won't sway because of her." He explained. "When he comes back, I was thinking of getting the two married. Himeko makes a better marriage partner than Hanako, and besides she is the heir to the main clan. As the heir, she will be entitled to the mansion of the main clan, their estate and property as well as their wealth. The main clan was always more powerful and wealthier than us, we lived in their shadows all this time. We'll make her believe that it's to join the clans back together as she suggested in the first place."

"What about the older brother, isn't she the second in the line?"

"It's been four years since that girl has last seen her brother. She claimed that her brother was severely injured back then, so even if he made it out of there, he is probably dead now. For now, we'll just have to earn her trust."

"I don't feel that cold anymore." She thought, referring to the blanket she wanted to get. She quietly headed back to her room where Hanako was still deep asleep. "I didn't really expect much when I came here anyways."

She went back and tried to go to sleep but she was deep in thoughts.

"Seriously, what am I even doing with my life." She mocked herself. "Leorio is studying to get into a medical school, Gon and Killua are training to become stronger and Kurapika is getting closer to avenging his clan. What am I doing? I'm looking for someone who is probably dead by now, I'm trying to create peace between a non-existent and a thick headed clan, I'm trying to avenge my clan when I don't even know who killed them in the first place!"

She continued to curse at herself while silently facing the ceiling. She was getting frustrated at what was happening. After talking to Kurapika and Killua, she seemed to have her goals sorted but now, they just seemed ridiculous and pointless.

What was the point of coming to the side clan? What was the point of going through the trouble of taking the hunter exam? What was the point of running away from those researchers doing experiments on humans? What was the point of even getting out alive from the clans massacre? Why her, why not someone like her brother Hakuryuu, who would have probably gotten revenge for his clan by now?

She felt tears running down from her eyes and decided to turn and face the door, just in case Hanako woke up.

"Himeko-sama, are you awake?" She heard a sleepy voice next to her. Himeko didn't respond, simply because she didn't want Hanako to worry. "She must be asleep. Did she give me all of the blanket? She is going to catch a cold." Hanako shared some of the blanket with Himeko.

"You know, you really amazing." Hanako started talking out loud thinking that Himeko must be asleep. "The fact that you can live independently at such a young age, the fact that you can make people look your way and draw them closer to you."

Himeko listened to her quietly.

"I'm sure you'll be able to find your brother, he is probably waiting for his kid sister to grow up and find him, just like how Hakuren nii-sama always used to wait to be found by me when we used to play hide and seek as children. I thought he'd be disappointed like the other children when I found him, but he was always overjoyed when I managed to find him." Hanako continued to tell. "I'm sure Hakuryuu nii-sama is the same, he probably looks cold on the outside but on the inside he loves you like Hakuren nii-sama loves me. He's waiting for you to find him and beat him at this long game of hide and seek, and honestly seeing you after you've grown up this much he would be proud of his little sister. He'd run up to you, and greet you with an overjoyed smile but the moment you turn around, I can imagine him crying out tears of joy."

Himeko listened while clenching her teeth, sobbing quietly. She didn't want to let Hanako down, who by now is a sister to her. They had only known each other for a day, but the fact that she thought so highly of her moved Himeko.

"Well, there's no point of me talking since you're asleep, so I'll sleep too." She said. "Good night."

Hanako fell asleep once again and at this point Himeko decided on three things.

She will meet Gorou, tomorrow and settle things once and for all between the head of the side clan and herself; as the acting head of the main clan.

She will expect things to become complicated, so she will leave the side clan and go off to investigate her brother on her own.

She will find out who killed her clan and get her revenge.

But for now, she decided to wipe away her tears and fall asleep.

The next morning, Himeko woke up when she heard one of the maids open the door. Hanako woke up soon after. One of the maids escorted Hanako back to her own room while the other remained in front of Himeko.

"I've brought todays set of robes and jewelry." She said.

"Gee, I still don't understand why it's necessary to wear that all when you are staying home and doing nothing all day." Himeko thought. "I see no point in it. It's actually wasting the nice clothes."

"Ojou-sama?" The maid tried to get Himeko's attention. "Let me help you get dressed for the day."

"There's not much of a point since I'm going to leave today anyways." Himeko thought and sighed afterwards. "But it's going to be a hassle to get her to leave now."

"Ojou-sama?"

"You can leave the set of clothes here, I can change into them."

"No, it's my duty as a servant to assist you in the morning." The maid protested.

"It's fine, I've dressed myself for four years. I'm sure I won't die if I do it for another day."

"But-"

"No buts, this is an order."

The maid didn't talk back, but bowed and left the room as she was asked to.

"Maybe I was a little harsh on her…"

Himeko got out her rucksack and found the dress she wore during the Hunter exam. She managed to wash and iron it after the exam was over. Luckily, she always brought a spare set of clothes since she didn't know what would have happened to the other set of clothes she wore on the way to the side clan.

Instead of wearing the dress the maid brought over, Himeko changed into the dress she wore during the Hunter exam. She left the other set of clothes and jewelry untouched, put on her rucksack and walked out closing the door behind. She walked down the hallway, to the hall where she could find Gorou. Luckily for her, he had no visitors at that time.

"Ah, Himeko. Come in!" He smiled at her. "Did the maid not bring you the new set of clothes? I will arrange another maid to-"

"There is no need." She told him firmly.

"Well, is there anything else bothering you?"

Himeko looked around. The men around her were the same people he talked to last night. They were also considered as major decision makers in the clan.

"I'd like to talk to you regarding last night!"

When she said that, a few of the men around her seemed to have tensed up.

"Last night? I went to sleep quite early last night, did something happen?"

"There is no need to beat around the bush." She told him. "I overheard your conversation last night, so there is nothing to hide anymore. You can just confess right now."

"You, do you realise who you're talking to?" One of the men on the side asked her.

"Gorou Inoue, the Head of the side clan."

"Who do you think you are? Show some respect to your elders!" Another man on the other side shouted.

"Who I think I am? I'm Himeko Inoue, current Head of the main clan. Shouldn't you be the one showing respect to me?"

"What makes you so sure you're the Head?"

"Why not, wasn't it you all who confirmed that my brother died?" She asked them. "Please remind me what happens when the first in the line dies?"

"... the second in the line would take over."

"And who exactly is second in line?"

The men decided to keep quiet and let their leader handle this.

"Himeko, why don't we discuss this like adults?"

"I'm not interested, I feel like I have been disrespected." She told him firmly. "But then again, I did not expect more. Planning to send Hakuren-sama out and manipulating him and trying to manipulate me into marrying him won't work. Also, as long as I stand as the Head, I won't plan on giving someone like you any of our clans fortune."

"As long as you stand, huh?" His expression changed. "What if the main clans last survivor gets into a tragic accident, would I still not be able to acquire what is rightfully ours?"

"You left the clan by choice, you have no rights anymore. Your rights have been stripped away as soon as you left."

"Truthfully, you are a very smart girl. My little conversation with you actually reminded me that there is still more fortune we can get hold of. Fortune that is worth more than that of the side clan that has been living in the shadows of the main clan. The side clan that was looked down on by others because we were the bad apples."

"It was your choice to leave, so you don't have the right to blame us."

Suddenly, a group of guards entered the hall. Himeko cautiously looked around.

"Do you understand now? No matter what your position is, you're currently standing on my empire."

The guards surrounded her slowly. Everyone was well aware of the fact that she was a Hunter and that she'd be able to fight.

She knocked the group of guards out with just one strike. She felt stronger than she did back during the Hunter exam. It might have been due to the fact that she trained with Zeboro. The fact that he helped her gain control of her strength was also evident as she only knocked the guards unconscious without giving them any major injuries.

"Tsk, that brat is better than I thought." Gorou muttered. "These guards are useless if a kid like her can beat them." Gorou stood up.

"Call _them_!" He ordered. The other men in the room turned to look at Gorou with horror written all over the faces.

"B-but my Lord, you shouldn't use the-."

"That's an order!"

The men moved closer to Gorou in fear. Himeko didn't know what was about to happen, but it definitely wasn't good.

She waited a while before she felt a massive aura approach the room. Was it maybe hundreds, no thousands of men maybe. The air felt heavy, it was almost suffocating to breath. Heavy footsteps came closer to the room and finally, they decided to reveal five men who carry the immense aura of one thousand soldiers. Himeko felt threatened by just their presence, she did not want to fight them.

The men wore the same uniform as the normal guards, but in white. Each one of them was also wearing a distinctive japanese mask.

"Let's see how the Hunter will do against real _Beast_."

"Beasts?"

The men took off their masks one by one to reveal their cold and blood lusting eyes. They did not have a soul and a will of their own anymore. They merely served their master, and killed anyone in their way.

Himeko slowly took steps backwards. Their aura was suppressing her will to fight. They weren't ordinary humans, they were Beasts. The only difference between them and Himeko were their wills. Himeko had a will on her own while the five men, they did not. They were an empty shell and Himeko would have ended up just like them. Just thinking about that made her shiver.

"I can't fight." She gulped. "I won't fight."

"Now that's a good girl. How about we just forget about todays incident and continue life just as I planned?"

Himeko clenched her fists frustratedly. There wasn't much she could do other than give in. She couldn't fight those monsters, she wasn't strong enough and she would have most likely ended up dead, but she didn't want to give in.

"I'm not going to fight." She declared. "But I'm not going to stay and follow your orders. I'm not a puppet anymore, I've cut the strings off long ago. I'm not going to let someone else attach a new set of strings."

"You either obey, or die."

The five men moved closer to Himeko at that moment, not leaving her any space to escape. She looked like a mouse trapped in between five cats.

"It's your choice, choose wisely."

"Father, stop this nonsense!" A voice echoed through the hall, shifting the attention from Himeko who was surrounded by the Royal Beasts to the door. The voice belonged to Hakuren who has overheard most of the conversation.

"Hakuren, stay out of this." Gorou ordered, but Hakuren just pushed past the five Beasts and stood next to Himeko. "This is something for both of the Heads to decide."

"That is exactly why I'm getting involved; as the future Head of the clan."

With Hakuren there, Gorou hesitated to order the Beasts to take down Himeko just in case something happened to him. He was the clans future.

"If you want to fight her, you'll have to go through me first."

In the end, Gorou told his men to retreat and with his words, the Beasts walked out of the hall as if nothing happened. Himeko and Hakuren were the only ones standing in front of Gorou.

"I've listened to you son, now what will you do?" Gorou asked Hakuren. This was the first time Hakuren stood in front of his father with so much determination so he was curious of what his son will do next.

"I'll decide a punishment for Himeko Inoue."

"A punishment, huh?" It drew everyone's curiosity.

"I, Hakuren Inoue, the future Head of the side clan would like Himeko Inoue; the current acting Head of the main clan, to leave this place immediately."

Himeko turned to Hakuren and bowed before quietly leaving the place. After Himeko left, Hakuren also decided to leave without giving his father a second look.

Himeko followed the path leading towards the first gate in silence as the other clan members watched her. She ordered the guards by the gate to open it. As the gate was being opened, she heard panting noises behind her. She turned around to see a out of breath Hanako.

"Are you planning to leave without saying good bye?" She asked her. Himeko couldn't reply as she was planning to do just that. "How could you? Weren't you the one who promised to help me find courage? Weren't you going to help me stand up for myself?"

"You don't need me for that anymore. After all, you were the one who gave me the courage to do what I just did."

"But-"

"Thank you for letting me stay, I'll promise to introduce you to my friends if we ever meet again." Himeko cut her off. She bowed showing her gratitude and walked through the gate, ordering the guards to shut it right away. The gate shut and she had officially left the Inoue residence. No matter how upset she felt, she couldn't bring herself to cry as she expected this all to happen in the first place.

She decided to continue walking down the path towards the second wall. It was a pretty long journey by foot, considering the fact that the radii of the area was a couple of kilometres.

An hour and a half of walking later, she came closer to the wall. She continued walking and stopped when she heard a horse galloping towards her.

"Himeko-sama!" Hakuren called. He got off the horse and ran towards her. "I'm sorry for sending you away so rudely."

"No, it's actually what I wanted. You helped me get out of trouble, I should be thanking you."

"Although I asked you to leave today, I promise to find you and bring you back after I become the Head."

"Thank you for your offer, but I must decline." She told him. "Also, I think you should go back now. I left your sister without saying a proper good bye, you should go and cheer her up."

After saying those words, Himeko decided to turn around and continue walking.

"Aren't you my sister too?" Hakuren stopped her. "It's the duty of the older brother to protect his younger sister, so he doesn't have to lower his head in front of his younger sister."

His words caused a silence between them.

"In that case, I'll be looking forward to seeing you again in a few years." She smiled. "But let me warn you, I'll be travelling the world a lot in the next few years."

"It doesn't matter, I'll find you no matter what."

"Good luck."

"Thank you, and take care, Himeko-sama."

"You don't have to call me that anymore." She turned around and saw Hakuren bowing his head once more. "Kou, Kou will do just fine." She smiled at him before she continued to walk towards the wall. She proceeded to carefully climb the wall just like she did the day before leaving Hakuren watch in awe. After she was out of sight, Hakuren decided to take the horse and head back home to comfort his other sister.

Himeko was now in the forest. She decided to sit by a tree before deciding what to do next. Maybe she should go and visit Leorio, although that would just interfere with his studying. She thought of going to Heavens Arena where Gon and Killua were training and got out her phone to call them. When she got out her phone, she saw a couple of messages.

_'Killua and I reached the 200th floor on the tower! - Gon'_

_'Congratulations. I also managed to send my application forms for the medical schools in. All I have to do now is ace that entrance exam! - Leorio'_

_'Wow, seems like the two of us are doing good. I hope Kou and Kurapika are doing good too. Kurapika hasn't responded yet and Kou responded before she was going to meet the Head. - Gon'_

_'I'm sure Kurapika is busy finding a job. It's hard work, so I guess he can only reply in his free time. I tried to call him the other day but his phone was switched off. - Leorio'_

_"Really? Sounds tough! - Gon'_

_'I just hope Kou is alright. She seemed pretty happy and excited when she texted us back though. Her relatives seemed to treat her well, they even dressed her in really expensive clothes and jewelry. Makes me wonder why the brat just wears that plain dress all the time. - Leorio'_

_'That idiot probably ended up falling asleep after all the excitement. They probably threw a welcome home party for her. - Killua'_

_'Hey, it's rude to call people idiot, Killua. Also, why can't we eat nice food? We haven't eaten anything good in days.- Gon'_

_'Why are you asking me via text using my phone when I'm standing right next to you? - Killua'_

_'Because it's fun. Besides, you're doing it too. - Gon'_

_'It's night time boys, don't stay up too late. - Leorio'_

That was the last message she got.

'I just left the clan after things got complicated between me and their head. I probably won't be going back in there so I guess I'll just have to find something else to do until September'

This was what Himeko typed first, but couldn't send. Everyone seemed worried about her until someone mentioned the fact that she was treated well, so she didn't want to worry her friends.

_'Hi everyone, I'm fine ^^. Just had the best breakfast in years! I'm going horse riding next, my uncle is going to teach me archery. I'm so excited :D. He said that I'm like a daughter to him, so he will be raising me from now on and help me find my brother. Can't wait to see you all in September :) - Kou'_

_Lies, all lies._

"Ah, I feel so pathetic now." She sighed and blew her fringe.


	19. Facing New Challenges

Himeko wandered aimlessly through the forest. It's been a couple of hours since she had left the clan and she managed to clear her mind a little. However, the fact that her mind was clear didn't help the fact that she was hungry. She didn't eat anything since last night, and it made her feel dizzy.

Eventually, she fainted.

"Sensei, she is waking up."

Himeko opened her eyes to see a fairly handsome, young man with black messy hair and brown eyes. He was pushed away by an older, bald man with bushy white eyebrows and a white beard.

She was resting against a tree and slowly decided to get up.

"A young girl like you shouldn't be wandering around in a forest like this." The old man scolded her with a loud, piecing voice which made Himeko bow her head and apologize immediately.

Himeko explained that she was a Hunter and that she just wanted to explore the forest during her free time.

"You are a Hunter?" The young man asked as he offered her a cup of water. She nodded.

"You are no Hunter!" The older man said which angered Himeko a little.

"I am. I even have a Hunters License to proof it!" She said and proudly showed off her Hunters license. The older man took the license off her and examined it.

"What the hell is this?" The man asked while examining the card. "Is this Netero's form of a joke? Giving kids a piece of garbage and telling them they are Hunters without giving them proper training."

"It's fine if you don't believe me." Himeko told them, although she was a bit pissed off at this point.

"Toshi, did you and the others get something like this too after passing the exam?" The older man asked the younger man.

"Yes we did, but you snapped them in half, Sensei?" Toshi sighed. Himeko noticed that the old man was bending the license and decided to snatch it off him.

"Are you trying to snap my license? We can't get them replace!" She shouted at him.

"Stop shouting at your elders, kid!" The old man yelled at her, silencing her once again.

"You mentioned having a Hunters licence, are you a Hunter too?" Himeko ask Toshi.

"Yes I am, my name is Toshiro. This is my Sensei." He introduced himself and his teacher.

"Sensei? So he is a Hunter too?"

"Yes, I own a dojo on the mountains." The man told her.

"Then, please take me in as one of your students." Himeko requested, only to be turned down.

"Sorry, but I don't take in just about anyone. I only train the ones I think are worthy." The man explained her.

"So you don't think I am worthy to be trained by you?" She asked furiously.

"If it makes you that angry, find another teacher kid." The man said which angered Himeko even more.

"No, I want you to teach me. If you think I'm not a worthy student yet, I'll become a worthy student!" She declared. The fact that he called her unworthy made her want to study under him even more.

"Fine. If you win a fight against Toshiro here, I will take you in."

Toshiro was hesitant to fight Himeko, but Himeko got up and got into a fighting position. Seeing this, he had no other choice but to fight. However, as soon as the fight started, Toshiro managed to knock Himeko out with just one strike in the stomach.

"Himeko, right?" The man asked. "You look strong, but you have a lot to learn. Find a good teacher and train properly to become a Hunter."

The old man decided to walk off along with his student, Toshiro. Himeko got up from the ground while holding onto her stomach.

"Wait." She shouted. The old man stopped walking to listen to what she had to say. "I'm not strong enough to beat your student, but I will become stronger than him. I know I will, just allow me to prove myself. I'll do anything for you to accept me as your student!"

It sounded as if she was going as far as begging the old man. Himeko didn't know what got into herself, why did she want to study under him that badly? Is it because he mocked her and called her unworthy? Did she want to prove him wrong? Either way, she needed a teacher to become stronger. She realised that she is not strong enough to find her brother alone at this point. There were many strong and dangerous people in this world including Hisoka, Illumi and the Royal Beasts she met back at the mansion. She can't back out the next time she meets any of them, or worse, anyone stronger than them.

The old man turned around and looked at her.

"Fine, I'll give you a challenge. If you pass this, I'll accept you." He proposed. A smile started forming on her face but the old man warned her. "Don't think this challenge is going to be easy. You have the chance to back out now, will you accept my challenge?"

Himeko gave it no second thought. She was desperate to get stronger at this point. She needed to be strong enough so she didn't have to rely on anyone anymore.

"I've been through a lot in my life already, I've seen a lot of scary things. I'm not going to back out, I'll accept!" She declared. Her confidence impressed the old man.

"Fine, so be it." He said. "On the other side of the mountain is another forest. It is nicknamed the Forest of Shadows since the mountain blocks most of the sunlight there, but it's not just named that for that reason alone. What makes it so different from this forest are the dangers that lie within it. The population of Magical Beasts within that forest are quite high, mainly due to the cool and dark conditions in that forest. Public has been advised not to enter that forest and many Hunters have entered but never returned. It's like an entrance to hell."

Himeko quietly listened to him speak while Toshiro didn't look happy about the idea, but decided not to interrupt his Master.

"Your task is to stay and survive in that forest for a whole week. Do you think you'll be up for the challenge?" He asked. Himeko took a little while to process the information.

"I never go back on my word." She accepted his challenge.

"Fine, we'll take you to the entrance of the forest."

Sensei and Toshiro took her to the entrance of the other forest past the mountain. They walked past multiple warning signs and reached a 6 foot tall wire fencing. Himeko climbed over it into to forest while the two watched.

"In a week, we'll meet back here." Sensei told her. Himeko nodded in agreement and left into the forest.

After Himeko was out of sight, Toshiro asked his Sensei a question.

"Why did you send her in there? One wrong move, and she would die." Toshiro asked.

"If she is who you claimed she is, she has a 50% chance of survival." His Sensei told him. "If she can't take control of her instincts and continues to fight against her blood, then she will die soon anyways. To me, it makes no difference."

Toshiro looked into the forest.

"Don't make that face, 50% is still a good chance." He told him. "Besides, you and the other two made it out alive, didn't you? Have some trust in your Sensei."

"I'm not worried about just that." Toshiro confessed. "It's mating season for most of the beasts in there. It slims her chance down even more."

"Mating season, huh?" He asked. "She'll just have to find a way out."

There was no pathway in the forest, mainly due to the fact that it's not meant for visitors. Himeko battled her way through bushes and thorns on the ground. She thought it might be like Zevil Island, but unfortunately it was nothing like it. She did however decide to first find food for herself and stock up just in case.

She looked around for any fruit trees and found something that looked a little like an apple tree. She got closer to the apple tree and looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw it, but it was too late. As soon as she got under the apple tree, a bunch of snakes dropped down, all trying to get close to her and bite her of course.

"Ahh!" She screamed and instinctively threw and kicked all the snakes off her body, ending up with a few bite marks before running away. Her scream made a few birds alert, causing them to make a few different sounds alarming the forest and it's creatures of her arrival.

She continued to run away until something grabbed her foot and started to pull her in. It was a root of a tree. She continued to panic and struggle against the roots. She started pulling her leg which in turn, caused the tree to pull harder too. It turned out as a round of tug-of-war where both of them pulled as hard as they could. Himeko tried to position herself up and use her hands to break of the root before she quickly got up and continued running, this time trying to avoid the trees.

She came across a river side and dropped down on the floor, trying to regain her breath. She had only been in the forest for maybe half an hour and she was already beat up. Her clothes were all muddy because of what happened earlier with the tree and she had bite marks on her arms and legs. She walked up to the water to check if it was safe. It looked safe enough to drink, but she still tried to touch the water. There was nothing wrong with it, it didn't seem to be highly acidic or anything. She noticed that the water came straight from the mountains.

"Maybe I should settle down here and set up a camp." She thought. After looking around without going too deep into the forest, she found some fire wood which belonged to some normal trees. She brought the wood back to the camp and started to set up a camp fire. She noticed earlier that there were some fish in the river, so she could catch some. She stepped into the shallow side of the water and managed to catch some fish and brought them back to her camp, where she fried them and ate.

A few hours later, she decided to rest. However, she was too afraid to close her eyes and kept herself awake, occasionally closing her eyes here and there.

The next day, she was still sleepy. She didn't manage to close her eyes once, mainly due to the giant mosquitos at night. She moved along the river bank to avoid staying in one place. She had breakfast, which believe it or not was fish again.

"Why did I even agree to this?" She asked herself. She looked at her reflection in the water. Dirty clothes, snake and mosquito bites on her body and a mark on her leg where the tree root had grabbed her. She frowned looking at her. "If Leorio and Killua saw me like this, I'd probably become a laughing stock for a whole day."

She set her bag down and decided to wash her clothes. She wrapped herself in a towel before washing her dress by the river and leaving it to dry. She then decided to step in and take a bath. Without realising, she stepped in deeper into the water until the water was by her shoulders.

"Six more days in this hell hole." She thought. She looked at her bites and wondered whether those snake bites were actually poisonous or not. Either way, she had felt no effect on her body so far. If there was poison in there, it would probably take longer to take effect on her body. She wasn't completely immune to it, it's just that her body is able to tolerate it for a lot longer.

She decided to take a deep breath before diving into the water. As she opened her eyes in the water, she noticed a pair of legs next to hers which made her shoot right up. She looked around, but there was nothing there. But she did remember seeing a pair of slimy and scaly feet underwater. Just that moment, something pushed her down into the water by her head. She struggled against the force in the water and managed to open her eyes again and saw those same pair of legs.

Something was next to her, something that was not visible outside water.

She tried to reach out for the legs and grabbed onto one of them. The creature struggled against her by kicking her. She dug her nails into it's flesh and bit really hard, which release the force that was holding her down. She managed to get her head out of the water and caught some air before rushing back out of the water. She did hear splashing noises following her but they stopped before she got out of the water. When she turned back, there was a big red spot in the water where she last heard the splashing noises.

"I'm not the one who caused that much blood to be lost." She thought to herself before she saw a dense spot around that area. There was a bunch of carnivorous fish around there that were attracted to the scent of blood. If she stayed in the water for any longer, she would have ended up as fish food. After processing what had just happened, she wrapped herself in the towel again and waited for her dress to dry.

Three more days past. It was Himeko's fifth day in the forest. So far she had encountered other beasts near the river side, so she decided that there was no difference between staying in the forest and staying by the river. Her attitude changed greatly. She had tied her hair back and became more alert of her surrounding. A single twig breaking would startle her and get her ready to defend herself. She had earned a couple of more scars from other animals that attacked her, however, she noticed that most of her scars healed pretty quickly by now. The snake bites from the first day couldn't be seen anymore.

Walking around in the forest, she found some edible fruits which she packed. She also filled her water bottle before leaving the river side. She also found a safe tree to rest under for a while.

"I can go back in two days." She thought. "Maybe I should head back tonight. I've come quite deep into the forest after all."

She decided to get a quick nap before continuing her journey through her forest.

_"Himeko?" She heard a voice call her name. "Himeko!"_

_She looked up and found herself staring into deep blue eyes._

_"Himeko, I found you." Hakuryuu told her. "You didn't do a good job in hiding, I could see your dress from behind the tree."_

_Right, at this point in time Himeko was around three which meant that her brother was around ten. It was when he was still able to play around like all the other kids._

_"Eh? This was a good spot." She protested._

_"Better luck next time." He grinned at her as he ruffled her hair. The thing Himeko liked about playing with Hakuryuu is that he treated her like everyone else. He didn't care who she was or how old she was, he would treat her just like the other kids while playing._

_"Hakuryuu!" A voice screamed from the mansion. It was their mother. "Your teacher is here!"_

_"Aw, man." He frowned before looking back at Himeko. "Play with everyone else, I'll come back to play as soon as I'm done with my studies, okay?"_

_Himeko obediently nodded and ran back to her cousins who were going to start another round of hide and seek. After watching Himeko run back, Hakuryuu decided to go to his mother who was patiently waiting for him to stop playing around._

_However, that very day Himeko waited outside for a long time. Her cousins left to go inside one by one and she ended up as the only one waiting for her brother to come back so they could play. It soon became dark and the servants told Himeko to go inside._

_She went inside after waiting for hours and walked down the hallway to her brothers room._

_"Nii-sama, are you done studying yet?" She asked. "Nii-sama?"_

_She was going to slide the door open but was stopped._

_"Don't come inside!" Hakuryuu shouted from inside. "Just go away and leave me alone!"_

_"But you said you'll come and play."_

_"Go play by yourself! I'm busy." Hakuryuu's tone sounded a lot different from before. It was cold, distant and harsh but it had a hint of sadness to it._

_Himeko quietly walked away thinking he was tired and that he will play with her next morning, but he didn't. From that day onwards, Hakuryuu acted distant towards everyone and only talked if it was required of him to talk. Himeko just thought he was busy since that night, but what she didn't know was that he spent that whole night just lying in bed crying._

Himeko shot back up.

"A dream?"

It was another one of her dreams from the past. She stretched a bit before carefully standing up and moving on. She couldn't think about it anymore, she had to clear her head. If she didn't concentrate, she could die any minute.

She continued to walk and tripped over another tree root that grabbed her by her legs and lifted her up. She had gotten used to this, so she used her other leg to kick the root with force which snapped it in half.

"You still don't give up, huh?" She asked the tree. She got closer to the tree before kicking it a couple of time with brute force. "Don't fuck around with me!"

As she kicked the tree, she heard a couple of ravens cawing. She stopped kicking as more and more birds decided to join in. She felt the ground trembling, and something was coming right her way.

Something was right behind her. She turned around and her eyes widened.

Two days past since the meet up day. Sensei and Toshi arrived after a week like agreed but no matter how long they waited, Himeko never returned. Sensei decided to come and visit every day after the meet up day to see whether Himeko would return, but there was no sign of her.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the world two men decided to meet up together. One was waiting by a tall tree. He had black hair, blue eyes, a tall and slender build and a birthmark underneath his mouth. He seemed to be waiting for someone.

"Hak-kun~" A man came running towards him with another man behind him.

"Ryosuke, we were meant to meet up an hour ago!" He scolded the late comer. "And call me by my proper name."

"Sorry, I just brought a visitor, Hakuryuu. We ran into each other and he wanted to see you too, so I brought him along." Ryosuke apologized. Ryosuke also had black hair that was slightly longer than Hakuryuu's and red eyes. They weren't the same as the eyes of the Kurta clan, they were just ordinary red eyes. He also had piercings on both ears.

Hakuryuu looked over to see who the visitor was.

"Hisoka…" Hakuryuu muttered.

"My, Hak-kun sure has grown up. Almost didn't recognise you there."

"What do you want?" Hakuryuu asked, glaring daggers at Hisoka and Ryosuke for bringing him there.

"My my, don't give Ryo-kun such a vicious glare." Hisoka told him. "I simply asked him to bring me here."

"Yes Hak-kun, he said he had some news for you!" Ryosuke told him.

"Well, him being here is bad news to begin with." Hakuryuu commented. "What do you want Hisoka, spit it out."

"Some people never change." He sighed before proceeding. "Kou-chan, I mean Himeko. Do you know of her. She looks identical to you, is about this tall and…" Before continuing, Hisoka looked up to see what kind of expression Hakuryuu had. He was disappointed to see that Hakuryuu has not taken the bait, he seemed rather uninterested. "She claimed to be looking for her older brother, who is also called Hakuryuu. Interesting, is it not?"

"You have a sister, Hak-kun?" Ryosuke asked.

"I do have a kid sister." He told them. "Didn't think she'd be alive though."

"Eh? You have a sister? You never told me!" Ryosuke whined. "Is she pretty?"

"Ryosuke, what part of _kid sister_ didn't you understand?" Hakuryuu asked. "She is eight years younger than me, making her nine years younger than you!" He turned back to Hisoka. "Where did you hear such a thing anyways?"

"She took the Hunter exam with me and passed." He told him. "She didn't exactly tell me, but I assumed it and judging by her expressing when I asked her, I was right."

"What of it?" Hakuryuu asked coldly.

"Aren't you worried of what happens to her?" Hisoka smirked. "I'm currently only interested in her friend. A friend of mine is interested in her other friend, so if there is no one who is interested in her, I'll make her my target."

"What do you expect me to do? Form an alliance with you and your friend?" He asked. "I'll pass the offer, I'm not going to join a club of pedophiles who are targeting underaged children."

"How disappointing, I actually thought you'd be a guy with a little sister complex." Hisoka shrugged with a slightly disappointed look. "Guess I was wrong. Well, my job here is done, I've got to go to the Heaven tower to take care of some business. I'm really busy these days, see ya."

Hisoka left while Hakuryuu and Ryosuke watched him go.

"He's gone." Ryosuke said.

"Yes, and don't bring him back. That guy is bad news." Hakuryuu warned him.

"What about your sister?" Ryosuke asked him.

"What about her?" Hakuryuu asked coldly. Without answering the question, Hakuryuu walked off with Ryosuke quietly following him.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Decided to give you all a double update. I'm going to be busy this week so I wasn't sure whether I'd get time to publish the two chapters, so I decided to publish them both. :)

Hope you had fun reading ^^


	20. The Dojo on the Mountains

"Sensei, it's been three days now. We should go and search for her." Toshiro told his Sensei who was about to leave the dojo and go to the forest entrance. Himeko hasn't returned so far.

"Why do you have so little faith in that girl now?" Sensei asked him. "Weren't you the one who claimed to know her?"

"I could have made a mistake." Toshiro lowered his head in frustration. "It might have been someone different."

Toshiro looked quite upset. He seemed to have been blaming himself all this time. He thought he knew Himeko, and had some faith in her actually passing his Sensei's test but now that he thought about it, it might have been someone else he met. If that was the case and Himeko was lying dead in the forest then it was his fault.

"I'll go and look for her tomorrow. We will give her one more day."

"But what if she dies in that one day?"

"Have some faith Toshi." He tried to calm his pupil down. "After all, I never had much faith in you and the other two but you still made it out somehow, and look where you are standing right now. Well, I shall be leaving now. Go and help the others cook lunch."

"Osu!" Toshiro bowed at his Sensei who was leaving the dojo. Toshiro watched him go and went back to the kitchen to help his other two fellow trainees.

Sensei returned a few hours later, alone. There were no signs of Himeko according to him. He tried walking around the forest to see whether she came out of a different exit, but she didn't. By the time he returned, Toshiro and the other two have already set up the table and waited for their Sensei to return in order to eat.

The three students waited for their Sensei to start eating before they started. He was awfully quiet and Toshiro didn't want to ask him how it went.

"Toshiro."

"Yes Sensei?"

"You will be going into the forest with Natsume and Haruko tomorrow morning to search for the girl." He told them. "You will come back in the evening and if you haven't found her, I'll look for her at night."

"Osu." They all replied.

They knew their Sensei was serious about this search mission. He wouldn't usually call them by their full names if he wasn't serious. When he did decide to call them by their first name, it was obvious that he meant business.

After lunch, they continued their normal daily routine. They started training for a couple of hours, meditated for an hour and then all took a bath before they started to prepare for dinner. During the time where they prepare dinner, their Sensei would usually be mediating. According to him, it was important for nen control.

"Hey you two, would you be able to take over for me?" Toshiro asked the other two. "I've got some business to attend."

"Business?" Natsume asked. Natsume was a couple of years younger than Toshiro, probably the same age as Kurapika. He had strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes and was shorter than the other two.

"Let him go, Natsu." Haruko told Natsume. Haruko was the oldest out of the three. He was slightly tanned and had dark brown hair along with brown eyes. "He's got other things he's worrying about."

"Fine, but you owe us one!" Natsume sighed. With that, knowing that their Sensei wouldn't open his eyes for a couple of more hours, Toshiro decided to walk down the mountain to the forest entrance. Unfortunately, Himeko was still not there.

He decided to wait for an hour or two, as long as his Sensei didn't know about this it was fine. However, as the sun decided to set, he stood up and got ready to go back to the dojo. He was set on finding her the morning after. He started walking towards the mountain but stopped when he felt an aura behind him. He turned around to see a severely beat up Himeko standing behind the fence.

"Sorry I'm late." She smiled. "I kinda ended up getting lost for four days."

Toshiro didn't know how to feel at this moment. He was glad that she made it out of the forest but on the other hand he couldn't have imagined what she went through looking at all the cuts and bruises she got. What horrified him the most, was the large bite mark that covered the majority of her left leg. From her ankles to above her knees; what could have had such a large bite.

While he was still staring at her, she climbed over the fence onto the other side.

"That bite mark…" He was still looking at it. "You met _them_."

"Them?"

**Flashback**

After waking up from her little nap, she was tripped up by one of the trees. Himeko managed to free herself by breaking the roots and took her anger out on the tree by kicking it. Right then, the ravens in the forest started to caw. Soon, all types of other birds started to join in. Himeko stopped kicking the tree and looked up to see birds acting in terror. She then felt heavy footsteps approaching her from behind but as soon as she looked behind, she was swung back. She flew back and stopped after she was hit her tree. She opened her eyes to see the creature that had just attacked her.

It looked like a regular tiger, but it wasn't. This creature was a lot bigger, so big that it could just gulp up Himeko in one bite. The fur was a greyish, blue with dark grey stripes and of course. Of course, the fangs were huge. They could bite through anything in one bite.

The creature walked towards her slowly as she got into a fighting stance. It then jumped to attack her but she dodged. There was no way she could hold back when fighting against it. She had to go all out, but that's when she remembered.

She remembered back when she was fighting Dox during the Trick Tower. She was about to lose control until Gon stopped her. She was about to kill him and if it wasn't for Gon, she couldn't think of what would have happened. She could have lost control and might have never turned back to normal. She could have even killed her friends back then and in the end, someone would have killed her to put an end to her killing spree.

She also remembered back at the mansion, the Royal Beasts. Their eyes were empty. They were just an empty shell being controlled. If she gives in, she could turn out like that. Truth is, no matter how much she wants to be strong and use her strength to its full potential, she never could. She was too afraid of herself and all the things she would do afterwards.

She was too afraid of what was in her blood and decided to continue to fight against it.

As she was deep in thoughts, the tiger used its paws to attack her once again, swinging her back once more.

"I have to run!" She thought to herself. She got up and was ready to run in the opposite direction when suddenly, the roots of a tree grabbed hold of her leg. She struggled against it and used her hands to break it off, but it was too late. The tiger was now right in front of her, ready to deliver the finishing blow. It was raising one of it's front legs to hit her and swung with full force, but it was stopped.

The tiger started to back off and took a few steps back to see it's prey. Himeko was standing up straight, waiting for the tiger to attack. Once again, the tiger decided to attack once more but Himeko dodged and attacked this time, giving it a blow straight to its face. She then kicked the tiger in the face. It received the blow but caught her leg with its fangs. It refused to let her go until she used her other leg to kick it until it let her go, leaving her with a bite mark across her left leg.

Himeko continued to fight it off whenever it attacked, but eventually she realised that it was starting to get a little fun. She found it amusing how the tiger kept getting up after getting beaten by her. She wanted more than to see it quietly whimper whenever it got hit, she wanted to see blood. She didn't just want to defend herself anymore, no she wanted to kill it. She wanted to kill the creature, shred it into pieces with her own hands and pour its blood all over the floor. She wasn't herself anymore, she didn't want to fight in order to protect herself but she wanted to fight in order to kill.

The tiger kept getting up and was always beaten down onto the floor. Eventually, the tiger grew weaker, and it couldn't get up. It just stayed down whimpering in pain. Hearing its cry, a herd of the same tigers arrived to the place in order to protect the one that was fighting Himeko. She showed no mercy as she continued to fight each and every single one of them, enjoying each and every moment of it.

When a group of them were about to attack her at the same time, she let out a loud roar that echoed throughout the whole forest. It caused the tigers to back off. They were ready to retreat any minute now but it wasn't enough for Himeko. She wanted to fight more so she slowly walked after them back into their territory.

However, seeing the little tiger cubs that the grown tigers were taking care of made her stop right there. She snapped out of it.

Right now, those creatures seemed a lot more human than her.

She left their territory before they spotted her. Her time in the forest was nearly over, so she decided to head back.

**End of Flashback**

"I came across a group of giant tigers." She explained.

"Let's go back to the dojo. We have to treat those wounds." He said and told her to follow. On the way to the dojo, she explained all the kinds of things that happened inside the forests including all the strange beasts that she came across.

When they arrived at the dojo, Sensei was already waiting.

"Toshiro, I didn't give you permission to leave the dojo." He scolded him with the other two boys guiltily standing behind him. But when he saw Himeko, his expression softened. He couldn't be mad anymore, what mattered most now was treating her wounds.

"Toshi, go and set her a bath." Sensei ordered Toshiro. "Haru, go and continue making dinner. Make sure that you make enough for another person. Natsu, go and find a spare set of clothes."

"Osu!" His three pupils left to do what their Sensei has ordered them to do.

"Did I pass?" Himeko asked. "I kinda got lost in the forest so I couldn't make it out earlier, so I apologize for making you all worry."

"You did worry us, especially Toshi." He told her. "The fact that you exceeded the time limit doesn't mean anything. You simply managed to survive in the forest for longer than the given period of time."

"So that means-"

"Yes, I'll take you in." Sensei said before he left to go back in.

"Thank you." She bowed.

"Go and take a bath. Natsu will give you a set of clothes to change into and after the bath, ask Toshi to treat your wounds. We will meet again during dinner."

"Osu!"

Himeko walked into the direction where Toshiro was headed to and saw him calling her. He led her towards their bathroom with a tub already filled. He also handed her a spare change of clothes. It consisted of what traditional japanese shrine maidens would wear; a pair of red hakama and a white haori.

"Sorry, Sensei doesn't really like anyone wearing casual wear in the dojo." He explained. It made sense. Toshiro, Natsume and Haruko were wearing dark blue hakama and a white haori all the time. Sensei wore a dark grey hakama and a white haori.

She took a bath and changed into the clothes that were given to her. Her dress was pretty much not wearable anymore. It had gone through a lot and a simple wash wouldn't be able to clean it properly, so it was finally time to let go of it. When she stepped out, Toshiro offered to treat her wounds for her. Majority of her wounds weren't even that bad and she knew they would heal quite quickly. The only major wound was the bite mark on her leg which he bandaged for her.

"There you go, you are good to go now!" He said as he finished treating her.

"Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me." He said. "Come on, let's go and join the others for dinner. If we don't hurry, they won't leave us any food. This place is basically survival of the fittest."

He took her back to the dining room where everyone was waiting for them to start eating. She followed Toshiro and sat down at the free space. It was pretty awkward for her to sit amongst people she hasn't met before. It reminded her of the time when she first met Gon and the others, it took her some time to get used to them too.

"Let me introduce her." Sensei spoke. "That is Himeko. She will be living with us."

"Hmm.." Haruko and Natsume took a good look at her. It made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"I asked for a little sister last christmas. Is she a late christmas present?" Haruko asked his teacher.

"Yeah, sure." Sensei agreed which made Himeko and Toshiro sit there dumfounded. Haruko's face brightened up as he looked back at her which startled her a little.

"Eh, not fair Sensei. I asked for a girlfriend last christmas and you gave me coal instead. Why does he get his present?" Natsume asked his teacher.

"She is a girl so just become friends with her." Sensei told him. "Then she'll technically be your 'girl' friend."

"I won't let my sister date that sadist!" Haruko objected.

"Now now you two. You'll have to share!" Sensei calmed them down. Himeko was speechless.

"I came to train but ended up as a late christmas present…" She thought.

"Ahem!" Toshiro interrupted. "She's right here. Don't make her run away."

"Thank you. At least there is someone sane amongst them!" She thought.

"Himeko, why don't you introduce yourself properly." Sensei suggested.

"Yes, I will." She said. "I'm Himeko, but you can just call me Kou. I'm twelve years old and I'm a Hunter."

"Any hobbies?" Natsume asked.

"I like to read, I guess." She replied. "I don't really do much to be honest."

"I'm Natsume." Natsume introduced himself. "But you can just call me Natsu. I'm the youngest hear, but I guess I'm not the youngest anymore. I'm seventeen years old and a Contract Hunter."

Natsume reminded her a little of Kurapika at first. They were both handsome and around the same age. They were also quite polite; well maybe Kurapika is a little saner. She turned to the other Haruko as he was about to introduce himself.

"My name's Haruko, but you can just call me onii-tan." He grinned widely before he was hit by Toshiro who sat right next to himself. He decided to start again with an unexcited tone. "I'm Haruko, you can call me Haru. I'm twenty four years old and also a Contract Hunter."

"You probably already know my name, I'm Toshiro. I'm twenty and also a Contract Hunter." Toshiro introduced himself.

"Just don't call him Toshiro, stick to Toshi." Natsume commented. "He tries to act cool but he's not cool at all."

"Why you little…" Toshiro went to hit Natsume but he dodged.

"See, he's got a pretty bad temper too."

"Well, it's nice to meet you all." She smiled at them.

"Her smile, it's so bright. It's brightening up this hell hole full of filthy men." Haruko overreacted while covering his eyes, pretending to be blinded.

"Oi, you do realise that you're probably the filthiest out of us three, right?" Toshiro commented.

"Silence." Their Sensei interrupted. "Show some respect to the food. Eat in silence and then talk."

They ended up shutting up for the sake of eating. It was Himeko's first good meal in a while. It only consisted of a fish, some miso soup and a bowl of rice but it was a lot better than what she was having in the forest. After eating, they asked her about her week in the forest and she told them every single bit of it.

"So, you met the rulers of the forest." Natsume said.

"Rulers?"

"The giant tigers are like the rulers of the forest." Haruko explained. "That's probably why the birds made such a big ruckus."

"You should be glad you survived though." Toshiro pointed out. "It's mating season right now and they act a lot more vicious during this time."

"That explains why they attacked me all of the sudden." She said.

They continued to ask about the Hunter exam. It had been a while since the three of them took it together. They were curious on how the Hunter exam for her was, so she told them. She told them about the friends she made and the strong foes they faced.

"Where are you from, Kou?" Natsume asked.

"I'm from Otaka."

"That's quite far. What about your parents?" Haruko asked.

"They died a few years ago." She confessed.

"I'm sorry." Haruko lowered his head.

"Don't worry. My brother went missing and he might be alive. I'm actually looking for him."

"Brother, huh?"

Himeko continued to talk to them. She tried not to spill everything. She only told them about being from Otaka, but she didn't reveal her family background or a lot of her background. She kept a lot of it vague but tried not to make it seem like she was hiding anything. Judging by their expressions, she thought she was doing a pretty good job in convincing them.

"Okay, enough talking." Sensei interrupted the conversation. "We can continue talking tomorrow. You all have to wake up early tomorrow to start training."

"So you'll start training me tomorrow?" She asked.

"No, I won't train you." He said. "These three will."

"Your students will?" She asked. "Didn't you say you will train me?"

"Don't take these three so lightly. I've trained them for the last four years, and they are my only students. I've selected them myself and I've trained them myself. They are strong!"

"We will be teaching her?" Natsume asked.

"Yes." Sensei said. "Natsume, you will be training her in hand to hand combat. Haruko, you will help her with her control and Toshiro, you will teach her nen."

"Osu." They all agreed.

"Nen?" She asked. "What is that?"

"You'll see tomorrow." He told her before he stood up from the table. "Go to sleep now. These three won't go easy on you just because you're a sweet little girl. Haruko, show her to her room."

"Osu."

With that, everyone excused themselves from the table and Haruko showed her to her room.

"You'll be staying here." He showed her. "Please don't be afraid to ask me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Haruko senpai." She bowed.

"Just call me Haru, there's no need to be so formal." He said before his face brightened up. "Or you can call me onii-ta-."

"I'll stick with Haru." She interrupted him. He frowned in disappointment.

"Anyways, good night. Make sure not to oversleep, Sensei usually doesn't like it." He warned her.

"Okay."

He got a futon out and spread it out on the floor for her and left afterwards. After he left, she got herself comfortable in her and doze off.

It was a few minutes past midnight now. Himeko woke up and realised that she needed to go to the toilet.

"I forgot to ask them where the toilet is." She thought. She got out of her blanket and walked out of her room. Haruko told her where their room was incase she needed anything so she headed towards the room. Luckily, their lights were still on which meant that they were probably still awake.

"Excuse me, I'm coming in." She said before opening the door. As she opened the door, she saw the three boys still awake, shirtless. She noticed a mark that was engraved onto all of their waists which made her freeze. It gave her a feeling of deja vu.

The three boys looked up to see the young girl frozen at the door, her eyes couldn't avert from the markings on their waists.

"You guys are..." She managed to mutter out before Haruko interrupted.

"Guess we were found out earlier than we expected." He sighed. "Don't worry, we know that we've got some explaining to do."

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Yay, new characters ^^ Also, nen chapter will be up next. Any guesses on what her nen type is?

P.s - sorry about all these cliffhangers lately, it just seems to be a good point to cut off the chapter.

Also, thanks for all the support, it really makes my day.


	21. Nen

"We'll explain ourselves." Toshiro repeated what Haruko just said in a more serious tone. "Just close the door for now so we can all put a shirt on."

"Ah, sorry." She closed the door immediately and waited outside in absolute silence. Toshiro, Haruko and Natsume each had the same marking on their waists as her. The symbol belonged to the Royal Beasts and every test subject that survived received one. It meant that they were the same as her, they were all once test subjects.

After a while, the door opened again.

"You can come in now." Toshiro opened the door. She stepped into the room and sat on the floor in front of the other three in silence. The three boys looked at her with guilty expressions. They didn't mean any harm by hiding it from her.

"You see, we never really wanted to hide anything from you." Natsume tried to cheer her up. "We wanted to tell you later on so you don't get overwhelmed by it all on your first day."

"No it's okay, you must have had your reasons." She told them. "But I do want to know the truth now."

Natsume and Toshiro looked at Haruko who sighed.

"Toshiro knew who you were when he found you in the forest." Haruko started to explain. "He told Sensei, who at first wasn't thrilled by the idea of having another one of us join the dojo. But in the end, he did."

"So the test was-" She was going to ask them a question but Toshiro answered it before she could finish.

"The test was to see how good you could control yourself." He told her. "The drug that modified us doesn't just increase our strength, it does a lot more than that. It could alter our instincts and emotions, Royal Beasts are originally meant to be killing machines. We are modified to kill ruthlessly, without hesitating. Our senses were also modified so with enough training our sense of smell, hearing and sight could be improved above the normal human level."

"The fact that you survived a week in a forest where all odds were against you would mean that you at least have the basic control over yourself." Natsume continued where Toshiro left off. "The experience would have triggered those instincts to take control. To be honest, it's a 50-50 gamble. Either you lose or win."

"So I guess I won."

"Yes, but if you lost, you would have lost total control and gone on a killing spree. The only way to have stopped you would have been to kill you."

Hearing that, Himeko gulped.

"But how did you know who I was?" She asked. "I don't remember seeing you all before."

"We were together in the same cell four years ago." Natsume answered. "But I don't blame you for not remembering, you were only eight back then."

"In other words, we were all modified in the same year." Toshiro added. "And we also were some of the other escapees."

"You see, Haru here was the so called ring leader of the escape mission." Natsume explained. "He was one of the oldests back then and planned the escape. Unfortunately, only a few of us managed to escape, but we were happy to see that you managed to escape too."

"You were really quiet and shy back then. You must have been scared, huh?" Haruko said remembering the eight year old Himeko.

"Yes, I was really scared. Hearing screams filled with pain coming from every direction, seeing the number of children decrease by the day. It was frightening." She told them. "You never knew what to expect next, we were all waiting for the Reaper to get us next."

Haruko continued to tell Himeko about their origin. The three boys were orphans who had lost their parents at a young age. Many orphans were sold into these kinds of experiments according to them since there was no one to oppose it for their sake. They all remembered Himeko from four years ago, a girl that was too frightened to talk to anyone. She would sit by herself in a corner and avoid anyone who would approach her. She would cry by herself whenever she was being tortured and she cried especially on the day when she got her marking. Each marking would be sort of burnt onto their skin so it wouldn't fade. Although their pain tolerance was high due to the drug at that point, it still hurt both physically and mentally having your life changed with just a couple of needles.

She thanked them all for looking out for her. She decided to tell them of her own origins without missing out any details this time. Being from an homogenous clan made it hard for her to actually talk to anyone back then. She had never seen so many people that looked so different before, it gave her a cultural shock.

"You got quite a lot of drama going on." Natsume commented. "Well, if you need to become stronger to find your brother and get revenge, then you've come to the right place."

The three of them warmly smiled at her. It was an official welcome to the family.

"Well, it's past your bedtime now." Toshiro pointed out. "You have to wake up early tomorrow. Everyone was nice to you today since it's your first day here, but tomorrow these bastards are probably going to show their true faces."

"He's right, this place is basically survival of the fittest. First comes, first serves." Haruko added. All three of them seemed to be warning her of what's to come in the morning. Training was going to be tough!

Himeko got up and was ready to go back to her room, but then she remembered why she came in the first place.

"Can I ask another question?" She asked them.

"If it's about training, save it for tomorrow!" Toshiro answered.

"No, it's not about training." She told them. "Where's the toilet?"

The random question caught the boys off guard.

"Down the hallway, last door." Toshiro answered after a brief moment of silence. She thanked them before she went off to the toilet thinking of the many things she could learn. She could finally learn to use her powers to their full potential. She just had a wide grin on her face imagining how she could show off her new powers in September and blow her friends away. After going to the toilet, she went to sleep.

It was 5 am. Himeko was still sleeping peacefully while everyone else was already awake.

"Wake up kid!" A loud voice screamed down the hallway. Himeko instinctively shot up from her slumber and ran out of the room onto the hallway, where the owner of the voice was standing. "You're the last one to wake up, clean the dojo!"

Himeko was dumbstruck by Sensei's order. She went to her room and got out her phone to check the time.

"It's only five." She thought.

"Confiscated!" Sensei snuck up on her and snatched her phone away.

"I was just checking the time!" She protested.

"Silence!" He shouted, making her listen obediently. "These new technical things are no good for you kids. They only make you lazier than you are already. Now change your clothes and clean the dojo."

"Osu!" She obediently listened to his orders, washed her face and brushed her teeth before changing her clothes. She was given a bucket and a washcloth to wipe the floor of the entire dojo.

"Fill it up and get moving kid." He ordered. She filled the bucket up and soaked the washcloth in it before starting to clean the hallway. She ran back and forth, cleaning the hallway. After the hallway was done, she had to clean all the rooms of course, including all the training rooms.

It was now 7 am. Himeko woke up two hours ago and she was already drained after cleaning the whole dojo. She walked into the dining room where she found that everyone had already started eating without her. What's worse, there wasn't much food left for her.

"What are you looking at kid, eat before we finish everything."

She sat down at the table and scooped herself a bowl of rice, and got herself some fish. There was also a bowl of miso soup for her. Himeko only knew now that second servings only go to those who come first.

"Maybe we should have told her yesterday." Haruko whispered over to the other two while watching her eat quietly. He felt a little guilty for not telling her that this place would be ruthless when it came to these things. He turned to Toshiro and Natsume who were both pigging out on their breakfast without showing any mercy on the newcomer.

"Don't you two have any mercy?" He scolded the two.

"Survival of the fittest, bitches!" Natsume mumbled with a mouth full of rice.

"All men for themselves!" Toshiro added, helping himself to another bowl of rice. "Her fault for not eating faster."

He sighed and gave Himeko another glance. She was doing her best to match their speed in eating. Haruko smiled at her determination before he continued to eat.

After they finished eating, they soon left one by one. Himeko was the only one left at the table.

"You're last, wash the dishes before you leave." Sensei ordered before leaving the room. She collected all the dishes before heading to the sink. She saw that the boys have also shoved the cooking pots into the sink and sighed.

"It's time to train!" She heard a voice waiting for her outside the kitchen. She finished drying the last dish before stepping out to see the three boys waiting for her. "Let's head to the dojo."

She followed them to the training room where she'll be starting training. It was a little exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. She imagined all the cool moves she could learn as she walked into the room, but her fantasies were destroyed when Toshiro pulled out a huge whiteboard.

"Sit down, today you will be learning the basics!" He ordered her.

"Aren't we meant to be standing up to fight?" She asked.

"You won't survive a minute against us all without basic knowledge about nen." Toshiro answered her question. "Do you want to have a flashback to when I knocked you down with one hit?"

"I'll pass." She mumbled.

"Okay, good. It will take me a while to explain everything so just listen." He continued. Haruko and Natsume have already sat down and patted the space in between them for her to sit down. "Don't hesitate to ask questions, it will take longer depending on how fast you'll understand."

"Don't worry, I'm good at cramming information into my head." She told them proudly.

Toshiro started off by teaching her the basics of nen; what it is and where it comes from. He later continued to tell her about the four major principles and the six different types of nen. It took him quite a while to stop talking, Natsume had already dozed of long ago while Haruko was close to joining him.

"So, any questions?" He finally turned to Himeko. She didn't reply as she was too busy memorising and processing whatever was on the board.

"You seem confident. Summarise everything I talked about in the past hour." He challenged her.

Hearing his command, she took in a deep breath before starting to speak.

"Nen is a technique that allows living beings to manipulate their life energy; or aura. Aura is produced by every living organism and is vital for its survival. This aura flows through the body without the owners awareness and can often leak out from pores called 'Aura Nodes'. Losing all of this energy is equivalent to losing one's life energy which can result in death, hence the first step to be a nen user is to control these pores. There are two ways to initiate training; one is by slowly training how to manually open and close these pores and the other is undergoing 'Baptism' where the user is given a shock that forces these pores to open. The second method however could be fatal if the user cannot close their pores in time before all the aura has escaped. Nen is also controlled by the emotional and mental state of the user, which could also influence one's aura. There are four major principles. Ten; the process of keeping the nodes open but also keep your aura flow through your body and not away from it. Ten can't protect you from any physical attacks but can guard you from mental attacks such as intimidations. Zetsu; the second technique where you can keep these nodes closed in order to hide your presence. However, this could also leave the body defenseless against any attacks. Ren; the third principle which is the direct application of Ten. While Ten is used for defense, Ren is used for offense. Hatsu is the projection of your aura to perform a certain function. It's one's personal expression of Nen and allows the user to create unique abilities also called Nen abilities."

The boys looked at her in awe as she continued summarising everything Toshiro had said in over an hour.

"There are also six nen types. Each person is born with a different type that the user can then develop into a unique skill. Enhancement can be used to increase the natural abilities of an object of the users own body. They can usually use their ability to increase their physical attacks and defense. Transmutation allows the user to manipulate their aura to mimic properties of something else; but they don't have to be real things. Conjuration is similar to transmutation but the only difference is that they are able to create physical and material objects using their aura. Manipulators are straightforward, they can manipulate living and non-living things. Emission allows the user to control the aura while it is separated from ones body. Any other abilities fall into the specialization type which is also the rarest type."

Haruko and Natsume instantly broke out into an applause after she finished talking.

"What have you been doing all your childhood, kid?" Toshiro asked in astonishment.

"I'm just good at memorising things." She shrugged.

"Hey Toshi, I learnt more from her in a minute than from you in an hour!" Natsume pointed out to his embarrassment.

Next, Toshiro tried his best to explain how to open and close the nodes. They didn't want her to learn through Baptism. She had a few months left until September, so they wanted to teach her properly.

"Listen Kou, we'll meditate for a bit. I'll give you instructions while meditating." Haruko instructed. After all, he was in charge of giving her lessons on meditation and control. "Your aura looks very similar to steam and acts in a similar way as steam from a kettle. The more nodes you open, the more aura will leak out. Try to imagine it flowing through your body just like blood this very moment, and try to feel it."

The four sat in a circle meditating. She followed Haruko's instructions and tried to imagine what her aura would look like. It was harder than she first imagined. It took her a couple of hours to actually create a fixed image of it. The boys knew when she was ready to move on.

"Imagine pores on your skin opening. Create an image of this steam escaping through these pores."

She spent some time imagining her aura escaping from her body, just like steam coming out from a kettle. The boys saw an increase in aura leaking out of her body.

"Concentrate kiddo, is that all the aura you've got in you? Open all your pores."

Himeko continued to create the same image in her head and focus.

"Open your eyes now."

After meditating for hours, she was finally able to open her eyes.

"Can you see it?" Toshiro asked.

"It's looks exactly like steam." She said looking at herself. The aura was pouring out of her body.

"Oi, it's starting to pour it. Concentrate!" Toshiro shouted. "Imagine the aura flowing through your body again while keeping your nodes open."

She did as she was told and the aura felt a lukewarm, liquid like layer around her body.

"Congrats, you've achieved Ten!" Natsume congratulated her.

"Don't celebrate yet, she still has to learn to control it properly. You will be doing this meditation every day to improve." Toshiro told her sternly.

"Osu!"

"Good, now try shutting off your pores."

They hours teaching her how to open and close her pores. She managed to learn Zetsu too. She was taught how to apply Ten to achieve Ren too but she needed more practice with it.

"Okay, how about we get to the exciting part?" Toshiro asked.

"Exciting?" She asked him. "Another boring lecture?"

He hit her on the head.

"Ouch, what was that for?" She groaned in pain. "That hurt!"

"Stay here, I'll be back." Toshiro left the room and Haruko and Natsume seemed quite excited all of the sudden. They were looking forward to what was about to happen next. Toshiro returned with a glass of water and a leaf. He placed the glass in front of her and placed the leaf on top.

"We'll be doing something called water divination next." He explained. "It will determine what type of nen you possess."

He demonstrated it first and after a while, water started to pour out of the glass.

"Perform Ren and make sure to focus it mainly from your hands. There should be a change occurring which would determine what type of nen you have." He said. She focused on the glass, surrounding it with her aura. She stopped after nothing happened.

"It's not working!" She said. "Are you sure this works?"

"Yes."

"In that case, I don't have any superpowers."

He hit her on the head again.

"Toshi… be a little more gentle on the girl." Haruko tried to calm him down.

"How am I supposed to teach this blockhead? What was Sensei even thinking?" He yelled out in frustration. "She is smart and has a lot of potential but she's way too impatient!"

"Sorry for being an impatient brat, I was just asking whether it worked or not. No need to shout." She shouted back.

"It did work! Just because there is no observable change, doesn't mean that there is no change at all." He explained while yelling at her at the same time. "Try tasting the water."

She turned to the glass of water after Toshiro finished speaking and proceeded to give it a taste test.

"It's sour."

"You changed the taste of the water, that means you're a transmuter."

"So I can change mimic a certain property of something with my aura?" She thought of the endless possible things she could do as a transmuter.

"Hold your horses, you still haven't got your basics down. You need to work on that first before you can develop your own nen." Toshiro reminded her. He knew way too well that she was off fantasizing about her powers. "Also, creating your own nen techniques is quite hard itself. It requires a lot of training but should also be based of the kind of person you are."

Himeko snapped out of it and looked at him confusedly.

"What he means by that is that your own technique should be a reflection of your personality." Natsume expanded on what Toshiro had just said. "It should be based off on your personal experiences and your inner self, copying another person's abilities could end very badly."

She listened to their warnings. According to them, not being able to do the basics, rushing training and even copying another person's techniques could turn out badly in a fight and could end up as a disadvantage. You can never master nen by copying and following what others are doing, you have to discover your own powers and your own self through meditation. It could take years depending on every individual of course.

"I'm actually and enhancer." Toshiro told her. "I use my nen to increase my own physical strength. One thing that all of us have to keep in mind is that we also have extra strength. Having above average strength of course adds to the fact that I'm already a natural enhancer. Those abilities go together hand in hand, but when it comes to you, you'll have to find a way to try and make them go hand in hand."

"I'm an emitter." Haruko said. "Since my nen type is better for far distance attacks instead of close range attacks, the drug really didn't give me many options. Physical attacks are more effective from a close range so I could initially only use these two abilities separately. You need to find a way to use those abilities hand in hand."

"Guess I'm the only one left, I'm a Conjurer." Natsume said. "Like Toshi explained earlier, my ability is very similar to yours. The difference is that I can create real, material objects instead of having my aura to mimic them. Having extra strength gives me a real advantage when using weapons."

"So we are all different types, huh." She thought. "Can you show me your techniques?"

"We'll show them to you after you improve and develop your own nen." Toshiro answered. "For now, I'll be meditating with you every day for a couple of hours and help you perfect your basics before me move on. Haru will also be meditating with us and then he'll teach you how to control your strength every afternoon and Natsu was put in charge of teaching you hand to hand combat in the evenings."

She looked outside to see what time of the day it is.

"We've spent nearly a day meditating and teaching you the basics of nen, so I guess my job and Toshi's job is done for today." Haruko said. "We'll be cooking dinner, so you and Natsu should start training."

Toshiro and Haruko left the dojo, leaving Natsume and Himeko alone to train. On the way to back the kitchen, Haruko began to worry a little.

"Do you think she'll be fine training with him?" He asked Toshiro. Toshiro thought about his elder's question for a while and understood where he was coming from.

"I don't really know." He answered. "I don't know why Sensei assigned him to do the combat training in the first place. He knows too well that Natsu doesn't show any mercy when it comes to fighting."

"Right, his sadistic nature comes out when fighting. It just gives me chills thinking about it. I feel like he sometimes tries to kill me when we train together."

Back in the dojo, the two got ready to train.

"I won't just teach you hand to hand combat. I will also teach you how to use some weapons." Natsume said before they started training. The fact that he is a conjurer made him more experienced when it comes to weapon usage compared to the other two. "Okay, first up I'd like you to come straight up at me and attack me."

"What?"

"Don't ask questions, just do it. Hit me as hard as you can and make sure not to hold back your true strength." His instructions were quite simple. All she had to do was attack him straight on, it sounded simple enough.

She followed his instructions and ran up to attack him with all her force, but with just one kick, he managed to send her flying across the room and her body hit against the wall. She managed to get back on her feet again and stumbled towards him.

"What's wrong?" He asked her. "I never said anything about not fighting back or going easy on you. Let me warn you, if you can't keep up with me I might accidentally end up killing you."

Natsume seemed to have been the nicest out of the three but now, he seemed to have had a 180 degree personality change. She didn't know whether she was up against the same Natsume anymore.

This is how Himeko's real training began. She was happy to get back out of the forest alive, but compared to the intensity of the training she was about to receive, the week at the forest was nothing. Now, she's training with the _real_ Beasts.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** I just don't feel satisfied with this chapter for some reason. I wrote this same chapter 3 times and this is my third attempt. Maybe it's because this chapter is loaded with too much information :/

Well, how did you think she'll handle her training and I also wanted to ask you all who your favourite OC is so far. You can choose all of the OC's I've mentioned so far including these three, Sensei, Hakuryuu, Ryosuke, Hakuren, Hanako etc. I'm just very curious!


	22. Training

It was now 7pm. Haruko and Toshiro were nervously cutting vegetables for the curry. The carrots and potatoes looked strange, as they were cut in different shapes and sizes since the two weren't paying attention at all. Thankfully, so far no one has managed to cut their fingers.

"It's been two hours Toshi, I don't think I can wait any longer." Haruko mumbled while he was still deep in thought. It's been two hours since Himeko started her physical training with Natsume or Prince Sadist as they liked to call him. "I need to check how badly she's beaten up before I can move on!"

"Do you think that she still has all her hands and legs?" Toshiro asked Haruko in return. They sighed insync and continued to prepare dinner. Sensei was in another room meditating as usual.

Natsume joined them in the kitchen soon, strolling in casually and helping himself to a carrot.

"Where's the brat?" Toshiro asked full of worries.

"You mean Kou? I told her to go and take a bath first. We can go and use the bath after dinner then."

Toshiro and Haruko let out a sigh of relief.

"So she is still alive." They thought.

"Want me to help with the cutting? I'm good at it." Natsume offered.

"Yes, we know how good you are at cutting things…." Toshiro and Haruko thought. Natsume tried snapping them out of their thoughts since they weren't answering his question. The two boys didn't need much help making the curry, so they told Natsume to wash the rice and let that cook instead. He obediently walked towards the sack of rice and did as they were told.

While the boys were cooking in the kitchen, Himeko sat in the bath thinking about her training with Natsume.

Flashback

"Whats wrong? Did you think I'd go easy on you just because you're a girl?" Natsume asked with no remorse. "Get back up on your feet before I accidentally kill you!"

Himeko stumbled on her feet. Natsume didn't look like he was joking one bit, he took this training seriously. He told her to keep coming at him and attacking him, but Himeko lacked both the speed and ability. She got hit a several dozen times in return as she failed to dodge his attacks.

Around two hours later, she started to understand Natsume's combat techniques. She noticed that he uses his fists most of the times rather than his legs. It could be because of the fact that he specializes in weapon usage. Himeko finally managed to dodge a punch she was throwing, but she was thrown off guard by a kick. Once again, she was sent flying back and hit the wall.

"Don't underestimate your opponent." He warned her. He knew that she had finally noticed a pattern in his attacks so he decided to change his pattern which caught her off guard. "An experienced fighter has a lot of tricks up his sleeves. You can't underestimate them!"

At this point, it's been over two hours. Natsume was unharmed since Himeko only managed to hit him once or maybe twice while Natsume did not hold back at all. The training session left bruises all over her body, but it just made her want to fight even more. It made her want to give Natsume at least one bruise.

"Training's over." He announced. "We'll continue tomorrow evening. I'm going to go and help the other two with cooking, so you should go and take a bath!"

"Osu!"

Natsume left her in the dojo and headed for the kitchen. Himeko also left as soon as she regained enough strength.

End of Flashback

"I'm still not strong enough!" She thought. "At this rate I'm going to be left behind by everyone else. I have to put more effort into practice from tomorrow onwards. If I don't work hard, I would probably be in everyones way in Yorkshin."

She finished taking her bath and got out of the tub. She proceeded to dry herself and put on a new set of clothes before stepping outside. She walked to the kitchen to help out with making dinner, but there was no one in the kitchen. It smelled like they were done cooking.

"Don't tell me…" She ran towards the dining room and found that everyone had already started eating without her, again.

"It's bad for your skin to stay in hot water for this long." Haruko told her with a mouth full of rice and curry. She quickly sat down at her seat, flipped over her plate and scooped on some rice and some curry before she started eating.

"Brat learns fast." Toshiro whispered to Haruko, and he couldn't help but agree. They noticed the bruises on her arms and turned to Natsume who was innocently helping himself to another portion of rice.

"So how was training, kid?" Sensei asked Himeko. Toshiro and Haruko wondered whether that was a good question to ask since her physical appearance itself said quite a lot about how her training went.

"Her reflexes are still slow and she's still holding back." Natsume answered for her. "Of course, I didn't hold back one bit."

"Don't be so proud you idiot!" Haruko shouted. "It looks more like she was beaten up by you, she could file a case against you for child abuse."

"No, it's alright." Himeko interrupted. "I won't learn if you go easy on me. I don't want to hold my friends back and rely on them too much when we meet up again. Besides, these bruises will fade by tomorrow anyways. It's in our genes, right?"

"See, she's okay!" Natsume said as he munched.

They kept eating in silence when Himeko remembered that she didn't let her friends know about training. Sensei also took her phone off her in the morning.

"Sensei, can I have my phone back?" She asked. "I'd like to let my friends know that I'm doing well."

"Phone?" He asked. "Oh, the thing I took off you? It kept making noises, so I wanted to turn it off. I ended up breaking it."

"... could you repeat that please? I don't think I heard right." Himeko laughed nervously.

"I broke it!" He said bluntly. Haruko, Toshiro and Natsume decided to cover the ears knowing that there will be a lot of shouting going on.

"You broke it?! Do you know how much that phone costed me? I might be from a rich family but I'm not rich anymore, to be perfectly honest, I'm poor. I had to work so much just to buy that phone." She shouted at Sensei.

"Silence kid!" He yelled back. "I never understood why you kids spend so much of that junk anyways."

Himeko continued to curse Sensei quietly under her breath.

"If it makes you feel any better, he broke my phone too." Natsume said. "Oh, and once Haru bought a new laptop for work related things and Sensei dropped it on the floor. Luckily it still worked."

"The laptop started bugging after it fell, so I had to get it fixed." Haruko added to Natsume's statement. "It looked fine at first but it was pretty messed up!"

"In conclusion, just keep your electrical devices away from Sensei!" Toshiro wrapped up the topic.

"You impudent little kids, always blaming your Sensei." Sensei started ranting

"That's because you are to blame for half the accidents here!" Toshiro shot back.

After dinner, Himeko was still on cleanup duty. She had to clean all the dishes and pots. The boys went to have their bath while Sensei went to meditate as usual. They ended their day straight afterwards. Himeko was too tired to do anything else, not even the Hunter exam wore her out this much. She fell asleep into deep slumber.

One month has past since Himeko's arrival to the dojo. Himeko grew fond of Sensei and the boys at the dojo, but nothing has really changed much.

"Get up kid!" Sensei shouted from outside her room. She took a minute or two to change her clothes and get ready and stormed out of the room.

"Am I late again?" She asked. She had her answer when she saw Sensei with the bucket and washcloth. Although she had been there for a month, she couldn't beat Sensei or the boys when it came to waking up so she ended up doing the cleanup duty all the time.

"What are you staring at, get moving." Sensei shouted, flicking her on the forehead. You could say that this was his 'signature' punishment he used on his pupils. Although it was just a flick, it left a big red mark. Himeko winced in pain, rubbing her forehead slightly.

"Osu!" She got over the pain and took the bucket and washcloth off him. She went on to fill up the bucket and started running back and forth the hallway, cleaning it. While completing another lap, she noticed someone walking over the spot she had just cleaned.

"I just cleaned that bit, you shit head!" She shouted with a scowl on her face. Haruko who just realised that he was walking over the freshly cleaned floor looked around and then looked at her.

"Sorry kiddo, just clean it again." He said while yawning, walking on.

"Hey, come back! Take responsibility for your actions!" She shouted, but Haruko just ignored her and kept walking on.

"You've got more than enough energy to clean the dojo at least four times. Keep at it." He shouted back. Himeko soaked the washcloth in the bucket of water angrily before she continued cleaning.

For those of you wondering, yes she did call Haruko shit head a moment ago. It all happened a week or two ago.

Flashback

"I'm done cleaning!" She said walking into the dining room. Sensei was already done with breakfast and left the table long ago, while the three boys were stuffing their faces.

"Ah, Kou. You took longer to clean today." Natsume mumbled while chewing on his food.

"Yeah, I was told to take care of the plants outside as well today." She said as she walked to her spot. She took her bowl and opened the rice pot, but as she opened it, her face fell. She put the lid back on and opened it once again to see whether she was imagining things.

"...what happened to my share of the rice?" She asked clenching her teeth, trying to hold back her anger.

"You mean _our_ rice?" Toshiro asked, emphasising 'our'. "We thought that you might not want breakfast today since you came late, so we ate on your behalf."

She proceeded to check the other side dishes just to see that they were empty too. She was left with no breakfast.

"We told you it's survival of the fittest here. Should have at least told me you were going to come late." Haruko said. Not even Haruko went easy on her anymore. They were all ruthless.

"Do you guys even know?" She mumbled while looking at the empty bowl in her hand. She started to shed a few tears which made the boys freeze with the food in their mouth.

"Do you guys even know how much I like to eat?" She started bawling her eyes out. For some reason, it was a funny sight but the boys just froze, not knowing what to do next and how to stop her from crying. She wasn't really upset about the food, she was more upset about her not being able to cope in the dojo. She was always the last one to wake up and had to clean, she was the last one at breakfast, lunch and dinner which left her with little to nothing food left, training was hard and the boys tried pushing her out of her comfort zone.

"Oi, kid. Stop bawling already. No guy would want to date you." Toshiro was the first one to try and get her to stop, but he didn't exactly do a good job.

"Shut up, asshole!" She shouted at him, making him sit in silence. "You are the worst. Stupid!"

She continued bawling her eyes out and Toshiro just looked around helplessly, earning a few glares from the other two.

"Come on Kou, I still have some rice left. You can have it." Haruko attempted to comfort her next, clearly doing better than Toshiro. "If you don't want it, I'll go and make up some more!"

"No, I don't want your stupid food!" She shouted back.

"But you said-" Haruko started, but was cut off by Himeko.

"Shut up, shit head!" She yelled, making Haruko choke hearing her swear at him all of the sudden.

"Why do you look so shocked." Natsume asked Toshiro and Haruko who were defeated at this point. "She clearly learned all those swear words from us. We use them all the time in front of her, so of course she will join in sooner or later."

"Be quiet Natsu, what do you mean we? You and Toshi use those words the most, I didn't want to raise Kou like that!" Haruko shot back at Natsume while sobbing at the same time. "Do us all a favour and try to get her to stop crying. She might listen to you."

"Don't worry Girlfriend, don't listen to Toshi. I would still date you even if you're crying." Natsume tried, earning a hit on the head from Haruko who was sitting right next to him.

"That's not the problem here!" Haruko yelled at him. Natsume did tend to call Himeko 'Girlfriend' as a gag, mainly to piss Haruko off, referring to the time when they all first introduced themselves at the dinner table.

"Okay Kou, stop crying." Natsume tried once again. "I'll teach you for an extra two hours if you stop crying."

"As if I want that you-" Himeko hesitated a little before swearing at Natsume. No matter how nice her acted towards her outside the training room, the fact that she is at death's doorstep whenever they trained made her afraid of him. Although Toshiro was the one who shouted at her the most, she wasn't scared of him at all. Haruko tried his best to be the big brother cahracter, but he ends up acting clingy most of the time. Natsume on the other hand, no matter how much of a baby face he has, he is a sadistic demon on the inside and it didn't take Himeko long to realise that.

"You what?" Natsume asked.

"Poop head!" She blurted out. Natsume was silent for a while, trying to process what she just said. He then broke out into laughter.

"Why does he get the cuter nickname?" Haruko interjected.

"Maybe because she likes me more." Natsume cheekily stuck his tongue out at his elder. The two started bickering which made Himeko stop crying. "Look even Toshi is still in shock." Natsume provoked Toshiro, only to make him join into their argument too. Watching them argue, Himeko couldn't help but just laugh out loud, no matter how much she tried to suppress her laughter.

The three stopped fighting after they heard a loud laughter coming from her side to look at her. They couldn't help but smile and ended up joining in.

"Come on, it's time to train." Toshiro interrupted. "I'll give you a piggyback ride to the training room as an apology. We'll walk through the garden, so you can try and pick some apples on the way."

End of flashback

From that day forth, she started using those 'nicknames' whenever they pissed her off; which means that she used them on a daily basis.

After cleaning, she rushed to the dining table and started eating without wasting another moment. She finished straight after the others and took the dishes to clean them.

"She's getting quite good at this." Natsume commented, as they watched her go.

"She might not look like it, but she's got a lot of potential." Toshiro added. "We have to try and push her to her limits."

The three headed their separate ways. Toshiro went to the training room, waiting for Himeko to arrive while the others went off to other rooms wanting to undergo individual training until it was their turn to train Himeko.

"Late, run ten laps around the dojo!" Toshiro ordered as soon as Himeko walked into the room.

"I usually come around this time."

"Okay, then let's make it twenty laps!" Himeko ran out of the room and started running the laps before he decided to double the number of laps further. She came back soon after, ready to train.

"Today we will be using nen to fight." Toshiro told her. "We've worked a month to improve your Ten, Zetsu and Ren. Meditation alone isn't going to enhance your skills, you need to know when to use what and you'll have to have experience using it in battle."

"So no meditation today?" She asked.

"Yes, I won't be meditating with you today, but Haru will before he will start your physical training today. Natsu wanted to start teaching you how to use a katana today." She was going to learn new things today. She definitely felt like she had improved in all areas thanks to the boys. She could control her ten much better than before and keep Zetsu on for a lot longer. Ren, which she wasn't able to control properly at the start also wasn't much of a challenge anymore. She wanted to improve those three skills quickly so she can start her Hatsu training, which she knew won't be as easy as these three. In terms of control, she has learnt how to control her strength better thanks to Haruko. Learning from him was quite useful mainly due to the fact that he was an expert at it. She was also able to cope much better when it comes to training with Natsume. She was able to dodge a lot more as the days went by and was able to land a few attacks too.

"Before we start, I have a status report from Chairman Netero." He told her. "Your friends Gon and Killua have started training a long time ago and acquired nen. Quite an impressive pair, they both underwent Baptism and managed to improve at such a fast rate. It's extremely rare to find such talented individuals and to think that they are the same age as you."

He turned over to his pupil who was pouting at him in jealousy.

"Of course my favourite pupil is much better and smarter." He smiled nervously before coughing a few times. "Your friend Kurapika has also achieved nen and found a job too."

"He's alright after all!" Himeko sighed in relief.

"Hanzo has also completed his training while Pokkle seems to be struggling with his training." He read off the report he wrote himself. "Leorio will start his training after he gets into medical school."

"His exam should be in a few weeks time." She thought. "I can't even wish him good luck now that I don't even have a phone."

"Let's start todays training." Toshiro announced. "After all, you can't lose to any of your friends, right?"

Himeko gave him a confident smile, showing that she was ready to face any challenge he threw at her. After a month of brushing up her basics, she was ready to move on. She wasn't prepared to lose against Gon, Killua or Kurapika. She wanted to become as strong as them and if not, stronger than them.

She was left with one more month of training at the dojo before the Yorkshin city auction. In one month, it was going to be time for the long awaited reunion.

* * *

><p><strong>An - **My chapters are just getting longer and longer... anyways, just a bit more until she leaves for Yorkshin City!

**[Shameless advertisement ahead]** Also, I started writing a new Demon AU fanfic on Hunter x Hunter. You can check it out if you have time (yes please check it out!). It's called 'Into your World'. I've only written the prologue and the first (very long) chapter. Just realised that I should have split that chapter into two /facepalm.

Thank you :D


	23. Departure

"_Here you go Himeko-sama, I've marked your previous assessment. Please review your mistakes."_

_Her teacher passed her the previous test she did._

"_There isn't much to look over anyways." He told her before she started looking through the few tests she did. She got a 89, 85 and a 87. She would usually achieve something in the 80's, so she expected her results, but it still wasn't enough for her._

"_I showed these results to your mother first, she seemed a little disappointed. I gave your brother the same tests when he was your age, but he achieved one 99 and two full marks." Her teacher rubbing it in didn't help her a bit, she already knew that her brother was smarter than her. She knew she had one of those 'mother-daughter' talks coming up that night so she needed to mentally prepare herself for that too._

"_I'll review the test tonight. Please give me another copy of the same test, I'd like to do it again." She requested. Himeko would usually end up doing her tests twice, once in the classroom with her teacher and then by herself after reviewing the topic again._

"_Fine, I brought a spare copy since you always request one." He said and handed her a spare copy. "We will learn Cellular Biology in more depth today. I've taught you the basics a couple years ago but we will go in depth with all the organelles today. I've brought a reference book on it today, so please read through it when you have time. Your mother mentioned that your dance class was cancelled today, so you can just read through the book during that time."_

_Her teacher handed her an advanced book on Cellular Biology. Normally children would learn about this at the age of sixteen or seventeen. Himeko however at this point was only seven. For her it was hard to keep up with all this advanced biology, chemistry and physics. She also had to juggle mathematics with those three subjects where she started learning advanced trigonometry. Not only was she tutored in the core subjects, she also had to take lessons in world history and geography. As if those will help her, it's not like she'll ever step outside their estate anyways ; or that's what she thought at that point. Additionally, she also received traditional dance lessons and singing lessons. It was tiring, but she tried to keep up as she didn't want to lose to her brother. She wanted to show her brother that you could study as much as he did but also pay attention to people important to you._

"_I'll be sure to read through it tonight." She told him. "Let's finish this topic by today so I can revise everything tonight and have a test tomorrow before we move on."_

"_If that's what you'd like, I'll be sure to do so."_

_Himeko sat in the room, listening to her teacher talking about cells and details about it's organelles. She drew diagrams of each organelle before annotating its parts and then writing down its functions._

_Two hours past, and her teacher started packing up. Her Biology lesson finished and now it was going to be his brother's turn. She packed up her own things before her brother could arrive. As she walked out, her brother arrived along with Sebastian who was his personal butler._

"_Good day." She greeted her brother while bowing and he just gave her a nod. Himeko walked out of the room and her brother walked in. That was it, that was their daily conversation. She had ten minutes left until her chemistry class started, so she went to her room to drop of her books. She then walked towards the class where her teacher would be. She walked past the garden area where she would often play with her cousins and her brother. The happy laughter felt too familiar when she walked past. She tried hard not to look at her cousins playing when she walked past._

"_Himeko-sama, could you please pass us the ball?" She heard one of her cousins shout. She look down and there was a ball at her feet. She bent down and got the ball and was about to pass the ball to her cousins._

"_Himeko!" She heard a sharp, piercing voice. It was her mother. "Your class is going to start in three minutes, and you're still playing around?"_

"_Mother, this isn't what you think it is. I was just going to give their ball back." She tried to defend herself._

"_Nonsense. Your cousins have two hands and legs just like you, they can pick their ball up themselves. Do you think you have time to pass the ball to them? Your grades are no where near your brothers and you still want to fool around? Why don't you go to your class three minutes early and learn something in those three minutes instead of wasting them?"_

"_Yes, mother." Her head hung low._

"_I need to have a talk with you tonight, your father is also getting concerned now."_

_Her mother finally left, but Himeko didn't lift her head. Her hands were still tightly around the ball._

"_Himeko-sama, I'm really sorry." Her cousin ran up to her and apologised. "It was all my fault, I shouldn't have asked you. I won't do it again."_

"_Don't worry about it." Himeko handed her the ball. "I'll be off now."_

Himeko woke up as soon as her dream finished. It was four o'clock. Today was going to be her last day of training before she heads off to Yorkshin. But before she was going to leave, she wanted to leave an impression on everyone.

Although it was four o'clock, she woke up and got ready. She would usually wake up around five o'clock while the boys woke up around four thirty. She left her room and walked into the kitchen. No one was awake yet. She never managed to wake up before everyone else in the past months, so this was the first time. She decided to start preparing breakfast.

Half an hour later, she started hearing shouting noises from the boys' room.

"It's so noisy in the mornings, how did I manage not to wake up before?" She wondered. Either way, she woke up before them today, so one of them had to do the clean-up duty. She grabbed the bucket and washcloth before heading to their room. They seemed to be fighting so early in the morning.

"Fucking idiot, can't do anything right!" Toshiro was the first one to tear the door open. He seemed to have shouted at either Natsume or Haruko as neither of them were talking back. He stopped and looked down to see Himeko grinning with a bucket and washcloth in her hands.

"Clean up duty." She sung, with a wide smile on her face. The three boys turned to each other, trying to decide who was going to do the cleaning up out of them.

"Why don't we let Kou decide?" Haruko suggested. The other three agreed before Himeko started analyse the three.

"You will all do it today." She announced. "Don't forget the front and backyard."

The three just sighed and walked out of their room to start working. Himeko went back to the kitchen where she continued to make breakfast. She was never the best cook, but Haruko taught her how to cook. Thanks to him, she improved a bit. She did a taste test before deciding that everything was ready and took everything to the dining room to set up.

"Ah kid, you're surprisingly early today." Sensei was the first one to arrive.

"Yes, I managed to wake up first." She smiled proudly. "Please help yourself to breakfast."

Sensei helped himself to a serving of rice while Himeko gave handed him a bowl of miso soup and a fish. She then sat down and served herself.

Half an hour later, the three boys rushed in following the scent of food. They took a quick look at Sensei and Himeko eating and helping themselves to an nth portion of food before they sat down.

"There's only one portion left each." Toshiro pointed out.

"Survival of the fittest, bitches!" Himeko took Natsume's words right out of his mouth. Natsume just smiled proudly before he helped himself to a big portion of rice. Toshiro and Haruko were fighting for the spoon.

"Thank you for the food." Himeko finished her breakfast and was the second one to leave the table, after Sensei. She headed to the training room where she was going to have her final nen lesson with Toshiro.

"I'm going to miss this place." She thought to herself. She was happy about seeing her friends again, but she didn't want to leave the dojo at the same time. She started to meditate while waiting for Toshiro to arrive.

"Toshi Sensei, you're late. Ten laps around the dojo." She ordered as she sensed Toshiro's aura arriving in the room.

"Ten laps?" He questioned.

"Let's make it twenty then!" She changed her initial order. Toshiro rushed out while Himeko was still meditating. Toshiro came back fifteen minutes later and Himeko got up.

"It's your last lesson today." He said. There was a hint of sadness in his tone, which he tried to hide with his poker face, but his tone sounded a lot more proud than sad. Himeko was his first student, and she came far in the past months. "I will test you today. Let's see if you can keep up."

With these words, their training started. Unfortunately, she didn't have enough time to develop her Hatsu, but she greatly developed Ten, Zetsu and Ren compared to when she first started.

"She came far since when we first met." Toshiro thought. Himeko concentrated her Ren in her first, before striking Toshiro in the stomach. He fell down, crouching.

"Payback for when we first met!" She showed him a peace sign.

"You little bitch, I won't hold back now." Toshiro muttered, stumbling on his feet.

"Oh really? Come at me, asshole!" She provoked him further.

The fight ended with Toshiro winning of course. No matter how strong she was now, she couldn't beat him who trained for a lot longer than her. However, she was able to keep up with him all this time.

"Good job, you've completed Toshiro's special training." She patted her head proudly, before he walked out of the room. Haruko walked in next.

"Looks like you gave Toshi a hard time!" He commented after seeing Toshiro walk out. "Let's see how far you got with your control. How about I give you a little test as your last lesson?"

"A test?"

Haruko gathered a lot of bricks and stacked them up in a few stacks. He told Himeko to stand in front of the first stack of bricks. They all consisted of ten bricks.

"I want you to break the first five." He told her. She had to break half of them, without breaking the other half. He continued to test her, making her break a certain number of bricks while leaving the others untouched. It sounded a lot easier than it actually was. It required quite a lot of concentration which was why the room was in utter silence while she was doing the task.

"Congratulation kiddo, you are now good enough to graduate." Haruko said proudly as he started to clean up the mess made by the broken bricks. "Promise me to take care and not do anything reckless."

"I'll try my best to stay out of trouble, but if I'm with my friends then I can't promise anything!" She smiled at him. It certainly cheered him up a little, but he still felt a little worried. She then helped him clean up.

Natsume was up next. He walked into the room with two katana blades and threw one towards her.

"Get on your guards, we are starting immediately." He instructed. They immediately started to fight. She could never fool around when it came to training with Natsume which is why she was always on her guard around her. Natsume was the type to corner you so you run out of all options to fight back.

"You've gotten faster." He commented. Himeko didn't say anything back. "But you left an opening."

He swung his katana to attack her opening. She used her katana to defend herself and it ended up breaking his katana. He looked at his broken katana before throwing it away.

"Didn't know we could use nen!" He said.

"Nen?"

"You mean you just cut my katana by accident? Didn't Toshi teach you any of the advanced nen techniques yet?" He asked her.

"Advanced techniques? I thought there was only Ten, Zetsu, Ren and Hatsu!" She started to panic. "Was there more to learn?"

"Calm down. As long as you know the first three basics, you can develop the advanced techniques easily. You already know how to use Gyo according to Toshi."

"Gyo?"

"It's an advance application of Ren where you focus in one body part. You can enhance Gyo further to do Ko and Ryu. By concentrating your Ren in just one body part and stopping the flow of Nen in the other body parts by using Zetsu, you can produce a much stronger attack than by just using Ren or Gyo. However, the other body parts will be completely defenseless so you should be careful. That is Ko. Ryu is the same thing, but instead of offense, you strengthen one part of the body for just defense." He explained. "Toshi probably didn't teach you because you would eventually develop these techniques yourself."

"So what I did right now.."

"Right, you used Shu. It's an advanced application of Ten. You extended your aura into the katana to increase the strength of your attack. It's very useful when using a weapon to fight, but I didn't know you'll learn it so quickly." He continued to explain. "Now that you've learnt it, you can practice using it right now. I have a sudden urge to use nen during today's fight."

Natsume walked towards the side, where he took the katana that was hanging on the wall before charging at her. It was their last training session, but he went all out until their training session finished.

"We are done." He announced. "You've become a lot stronger than before, but that's no excuse to stop training. You can take that katana with you, so I expect you to continue training everyday."

"Osu!"

"Okay, go and take a bath. I'm going to go and help the others cook. Make sure you pack your bag since you'll be leaving tonight."

With that, Natsume left to the kitchen to cook while Himeko took a bath.

At the dinner table, everyone was eating in silence. There were no fights and no insults. Just everyone eating dinner in a neat and tidy manner.

"How did your training go kid?" Sensei asked.

"She's improved a lot." Haruko answered for her. "I'm not the only one who thinks so, Toshi and Natsu have also seen her grow a lot."

"That's good to hear. At least you are less likely to die out there now." Sensei said. "You can finally call yourself a Hunter now."

"A Hunter. But I passed the exam a couple of months ago."

"That's right." Toshiro said. "But you are now a Pro Hunter. You can now go and accept jobs unlike before. Learning nen is a requirement to become a Pro, and you are a pro now."

"Congrats!" Natsume explained.

"To celebrate, Toshi bought a cake." Haruko announced.

"You idiot, you weren't meant to mention my name!" Toshiro shouted at Haruko in embarrassment.

"I was meant to buy it yesterday but I kinda forgot." Natsume said while rubbing his neck. "Toshi was hella angry at me in the morning."

"So that's what the ruckus was about." She said.

"Yeah, but he went and got a cake while you were training with me and Natsu." Haruko added.

"Quit being such a tsundere and get the cake Toshi. Last time I had cake was for your birthday." Natsume told Toshiro. He couldn't help but sigh now that they've told Himeko and went to get the cake.

After eating the cake, Himeko went to her room to check whether she packed everything. She got her bag and the katana that Natsume gave her earlier on, before she headed outside where everyone was waiting for her.

It was time for her goodbyes.

"Don't be reckless out there." Toshiro said.

"Make sure to eat well and not to get involved with weird people." Haruko said as he embraced Himeko as the 'big brother' he imagined himself to be.

"Yeah, and don't cheat on me while you're out in the city. I know it might be tempting after seeing city boys, but I'm still better looking than them." Natsume started to brag before Haruko hit him on the head as usual. "Be careful."

They all exchanged their final words.

"Thank you for everything." She thanked them. "Take care everyone."

"Kid, I don't think you're understanding something here." Sensei stopped her. "Once you become a student at my dojo, you'll always belong here. This is your home to return to, I expect you to come back!"

"In that case, I guess I'll see you all again." She smiled. She left the dojo in the evening and followed the instructions on her Hunter tablet to get to Yorkshin City.

A couple of days past since Himeko's departure. Gon, Killua and Leorio have already met up and were in a shop buying new phones.

"We should buy one for Kou too." Gon pointed out.

"Yeah, good idea!" Leorio said. "Sir, give us one more."

"How are you so sure she'll come back anyways? She didn't reply to us after she arrived at her clan. She might not leave now that she's got a family to look after her." Killua pointed out.

"I'm sure because she promised to meet us again. She won't break the promise, I know for sure." Gon was confident in his answer.

"If you think so, then I guess we have no choice than to wait for a few more days. She might have ended up on the other side of the world with her navigation skills!" Killua sighed.

"Now now, brat. Just because you grew a little and became stronger over the past months doesn't mean you can look down on others. Who knows, Kou might be a lot taller and stronger than you now." Leorio pointed out and laughed when Killua actually realised the possibility of Himeko being taller and stronger than him.

Their laughter was interrupted by a scream outside on the streets.

"Thief!" A woman's cry was heard outside. The trio rushed outside to see a woman down on the floor. Leorio rushed to help her up, followed by Gon and Killua.

"Are you okay?" Gon asked.

"That man pushed me down and stole my bag." She said as she pointed at a man running away.

"Quick Killua, we have to run after him." Gon was ready to run after him and pulled Killua along.

Killua stopped Gon and told him to watch.

"We don't have to run after him. Look!" Killua pointed towards the man running away. Gon and Leorio looked up towards that direction.

"A samurai?" Leorio asked seeing a person in the distance.

"Samurai?" Gon asked.

"Samurais are men from a powerful military caste in the eastern part of the world back in the days. But I never knew they'd still exist." Killua explained while Gon watched the samurai in awe. He wore a black hakama and a white keikogi. He wore his hair in a ponytail and had a kabuki mask covering his face.

"Wow, a samurai." Gon said in awe.

"You've never watched samurai movies?" Killua asked.

"Nope!"

They watched the samurai walk past the thief.

"Did you see that Killua?" Gon asked Killua.

"Yeah, he is fast. That thief probably hasn't even realised that the purse is gone." He replied as he watched intently.

"Hey, you. You stole the handbag off me." The thief pointed at the samurai when he finally realised that the bag was gone. He ran towards the samurai only to be kicked where the sun doesn't shine.

"Don't make me get serious." Hearing this, the thief ran away with the pain between his legs.

"Thank you mister." The woman was the first one to run up to the samurai and thank him. He nodded in acknowledgement and handed her the bag.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** I'm kinda sad now that she left, but yay Yorkshin City arc will start from the next chapter. Also, I decided to introduce a new character while Kou is still finding her way to Yorkshin city. Any ideas on who he might be?


	24. Reunion

"Thank you mister." The woman was the first one to run up to the samurai and thank him. He nodded in acknowledgement and handed her the bag. The woman examined him from a closer distance. "You are a lot shorter now that I look at you close-up."

"Wow, you were really fast back there mister." The samurai heard a voice from a distance. He looked towards that direction and saw Gon along with Killua and Leorio. They seemed to have caught his attention. He walked past the lady, towards them.

"He's coming towards us!" Leorio informed them. The three remained calm until the samurai grabbed his katana that was around his waist.

"Shit, he's getting ready to attack!" Killua cursed and got into an defense position. Gon remained calm next to Killua while Leorio tried to calm Killua down.

"No need to provoke him further Killua." Leorio tried to calm Killua down. The Samurai got closer and drew his sword, ready to strike.

"Stay back, I'll handle this one." Killua stepped forward, wanting to protect his friends. The Samurai swung his sword and stopped halfway and bursted into laughter. Killua stood there dumbfounded, waiting for the Samurai to continue his attack, but he didn't. Gon and Leorio, who were behind Killua looked at each other in confusion.

"That voice sounds familiar!" Gon pointed out. Just at that point, the Samurai put the sword back and removed the kabuki mask.

"'Sup."

"Kou?!" Gon and Leorio exclaimed, leaving Killua awestruck.

"Oh my god, you should have seen your face Killua, it was hilarious." Himeko continued to laugh. "You seem stronger but you haven't changed one bit." She continued to laugh. "Ouch, my stomach hurts!"

"What's with the outfit Kou? We really thought you were someone different." Leorio asked.

"Ah, this?" She asked, trying to control her laugh. "It's a really long story but for now, let's just say that I lost my shorts and t-shirt and that my dress became unusable. I wanted to pull a prank on you guys so I brought a mask as a souvenir from Kioto."

The fact that she wore loose clothing helped her to hide her small frame. From a far distance, she looked taller than she actually was which the woman pointed out before. The fact that she didn't have a figure also helped hide her identity and the mask helped to cover her feminine face.

"Yeah, you got us real good." Leorio admitted.

"We've got a lot to talk about and I'm starving, so let's talk while having lunch!" Himeko suggested. "But before that, let me go and buy something better to wear."

They all took a moment to stare at what she was wearing.

"I do look a bit out of place, huh?" She asked.

"Yes, and the outfit lost it's coolness as soon as you removed your mask." Killua added.

Himeko led the three boys to the nearest clothing store where she made them wait as she looked through the selections and tried them on one by one.

"Does this look good on me?" She asked them as she stepped out of the changing room.

"That looks absolutely great on you Miss. The neutral colours totally bring out the colour of your eyes." The sales assistant complimented her with a (fake) smile.

"Hmm… you really think so? I think it doesn't compliment my shape." Himeko thought out loud while looking at the mirror.

"Really? I think it looks great!" Gon said for the nth time since they've entered the store. He didn't really know what else to say. All the clothes looked great on her in his opinion, he didn't overanalyze her clothes like Himeko and the sales assistant or any other girl for that matter.

Himeko just sighed and headed back into the changing room to change into the next set of clothes.

"It's usually just one boy suffering like this per girl. To think that there's a girl who'd make three guys suffer at the same time." Leorio groaned. "If Kurapika was here, it would have been four guys waiting for one girl to finish shopping."

"Compared to this, the torture I suffered back home doesn't compare." Killua started whining. "I used to be an assassin!"

"Yes, and to think that an ex-assassin would have to deal with things like this too." Leorio thought.

"My old man always tells my mother to shop online for clothes. Now I understand why…"

Himeko stepped out once again, this time wearing a plain white dress similar to the one she wore during the Hunter exam.

"Now this sure brings back memories!" Leorio commented.

"It does right?" Himeko agreed with a smile. She turned a couple of times in front of the mirror.

"That dress suits you perfectly, as if it were made for you!" The sales assistant smiled. "It's stunning!"

"What do you two think?" Himeko asked Gon and Killua who haven't contributed yet.

"I think all the clothes looked good on you to be honest." Gon said. "You looked pretty in all the clothes!"

"You really think so?" Himeko started to smile widely at Gon's compliment. "Maybe it's because I grew my hair out. People told me that I'd look pretty if I grew it out."

She was referring to the time when Hanako told her to grow her hair out since she thought it'll look good on her. Not only that, but Natsume told her so too once.

Flashback

"Hey Kou, do you like that Kurapika guy?" Natsume asked bluntly, making Himeko choke on her own saliva. "You always smile when you speak of him."

She remained silent but couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"I'm taking that as a yes." Natsume assumed. "Must be one hell of a hot guy to have someone like you turning your head."

"Natsu, what kind of girls do guys like?" She asked him curiously. Out of all three of them, she always thought of Natsume as the love expert. Natsume thought hard.

"To be honest, it depends on the person. A lot of guys don't ask for much, they just want someone understanding and someone who's got a matching personality to theirs." He explained. "But I do know a lot of guys that like girls with longer hair. Maybe us guys are just simple minded like that, but a lot of us just want to run our fingers through our girls' hair."

After that conversation, she started to grow her hair out. When Natsume offered to cut her hair, she rejected the offer and only allowed him to adjust her front fringe.

End of Flashback

"No, it's not just because of the hair, I think you looked pretty before too!" Gon interrupted her thoughts. "It's because you're always so honest and try always try your best!"

"He is right Kou." Leorio agreed with Gon. "But the long hair does add to your charm. It's a nice change."

She turned to Killua who hasn't commented yet, waiting for him to add his opinion.

"Meh, they all look the same on you." He said. "After all, it's only your hair that grew. Your height and your flat, washboard like chest remained the same."

Killua's comment flustered the sales assistant who would have never guessed to hear such a comment from a young boy, and Killua earned a hit on the head from Leorio and a slap from Himeko, before Himeko went back into the changing room. In the end, Gon was the only one left trying to comfort Killua although Gon was also criticising his bad choice of words.

"I'll buy this white dress." Himeko said as she stepped out after folding the other clothes nicely. She handed the clothes she didn't want the sales assistant and paid for the clothes she chose.

"Do you kids want to go and eat?" Leorio asked. "There is a good restaurant nearby. I'll treat you all."

There were no objections from the other three, so Leorio led the way to the restaurant he was talking about, where they were taken to their table by the waitress.

"So, start talking. What happened during your training period?" Leorio asked Gon and Killua.

"We both learnt nen from Wing-san. Also, we met Hisoka in the arena." Gon started off.

"Hisoka?!" Himeko and Leorio exclaimed in surprise. Sure, they knew they'd encounter him but not this early. It took them by surprise. "What happened after that?"

"I managed to return his tag from the Hunter exam." Gon smiled proudly.

"Congrats Gon!" Leorio started celebrating.

"Don't be so happy, I have a feeling that we'll be seeing him again real soon." Killua interrupted. He had a point. Hisoka always had the worst timings, he pops up when things can't get any worse. He also told Kurapika that he'd be coming to Yorkshin during the auctions. They couldn't lower their guard yet.

"What else happened?" Himeko asked.

"Well, after we reached the 200th floor, we just kept going. But that's all." Gon told them.

"Well, meeting Hisoka is an adventure itself!" Leorio said. "What about you Kou?"

"Nothing much, I guess." She started off. "I went to my clan, they planned to get me married to my cousin so I objected. I ended up getting kicked out of the clan and fainted in the forest. I was saved by an old man who claimed to be owning a dojo. He said he'll take me in if I survived in a forest full of magical beasts for a week and I nearly died in there. Then I was accepted and trained with a stubborn and bad tempered asshole, an overly attached weirdo and a sadistic psychopath who tried to kill me. That's all, nothing much."

Their jaws dropped.

"We were worried about you, I couldn't get hold of you Kou!" Leorio said in a worried, yet relieved tone. They all thought she was well off, getting pampered by her relatives. Turned out that she had a hard time herself.

"Oh, my Sensei accidently broke my phone and I didn't get a chance to buy a new one since I ended up training every day." She told them.

"It's a good thing we bought you a new phone then!" Gon handed her the beetle phone. She reluctantly took it off him and just stared at it. "Anything wrong Kou?"

"To be honest, I don't like bugs." She said as she put the phone on the table. "I can't really imagine carrying around a bug shaped phone."

"We can go and exchange it if you want a new one. We thought it would be nice to have the same phone." Leorio offered. Himeko shook her head and told them it's okay. She didn't want them to go through the trouble.

"What about you Leorio. How did everything go with you?" Himeko asked.

"Well, I didn't do much. But I did pass the exam and the interview." He smiled victoriously.

"That's great!" Gon cheered for him.

"Yeah, congrats old man!" Killua congratulated him.

"Feels nice to be reunited like this. We just need to find Kurapika." Gon said. Leorio's face dropped a little when he heard Kurapika's name being mentioned.

"I tried calling him a few times since I got here, but he didn't answer." Leorio confessed. "He is quite reckless, I hope he is okay."

His words made Himeko worry too. Her face dropped when she heard Leorio's words since he was right. Kurapika was quite reckless especially when it came to the Spiders. He swore to fight them in Yorkshin when he came across them. That thought itself was haunting her.

"Kurapika is smarter than you think." Killua interrupted their thoughts. "He's probably the only one of us who can think calmly and rationally in a difficult situation. Have some faith!"

"I heard that he's mastered nen and found a job." Himeko remembered what Toshiro had told her. "He is probably busy with work. He did want to get a job so he can get affiliated with the Auction. Since the auction is getting closer, I'm sure he'll be busier, right?"

She tried her best to deny the thoughts of Kurapika possibly being in some kind of difficult situation. Leorio wasn't confident enough to agree with her and Gon was thinking too. They knew Kurapika too well. Killua was the only one who could keep a cool head. He watched the three staring off into space.

"He probably is busy with work. He will contact us when he gets time." Killua tried to liven the mood up again. Just that moment, the waitress came to their table.

"May I take your order?" She asked them all.

"Talk about good timing!" Killua thought in relief.

"Yes, can I have todays special?" Leorio asked. The waitress nodded and wrote down his order. Gon wanted to get the same as Leorio.

"I want some steak!" Himeko ordered. "I haven't eaten real meat in ages. It's usually just rice, fish and miso soup or rice and curry. If I see fish once more, I swear I'll go insane!"

"Is that so?" Killua thought. "Excuse me, can I have your best fish dish?"

"You're trying to pick a fight, aren't you?" Himeko asked him.

"Nope, I just felt like having fish today!" He shrugged before giving her a playful grin.

"Jeez, how childish!" She blew her fringe.

Shortly after the waitress took their order, the food arrived. Himeko savoured every piece of meat she was eating while the others just gave her a weird look. Killua followed her example mainly to piss her off a little. After they've eaten their lunch, they ordered dessert because come on, Leorio was the one who was paying after all. During that time Gon told Himeko that Kurapika isn't the only one who has business at the auction. He told her about his visit back home where they found the old cassette tape left by Ging. Ging also left him a saved data for a game called Greed Island, which Ging took part in making. Gon thinks that the game might have possible clues on his father's whereabouts.

"Did you try and check on the net?" She asked him.

"We tried searching the internet and offered a certain amount of money for anyone who had the game. Somehow we ended up getting more replies than we thought we would. There are only a few copies of the game on the market." Killua explained.

"So most of them were probably scams, trying to rip you off." Leorio took the words out of Killua's mouth.

"Precisely, and that's why we used our last resort. I asked my older brother for information."

"Older brother? The one from the Hunter exam?" She asked.

"No, I've got another fat one. He's good for nothing when it comes to assassination, but when it comes to anything tech related he is a genius. Of course, the title Greed Island caught his attention just like I thought it would. At this point, he'll be cooped in his room trying to get his hands on one of the copies." Killua predicted exactly what was happening back at the Zoldyck's estate. Milluki locked himself up in his room, trying to find traces of the game Greed Island. "He was the one who told me that it would be available in Yorkshin's auction."

"Must be one hell of a game to be sold at the auction!" Himeko thought. "How much is the starting price?"

"He said the bid will start around eight billion jenny."

"E-eight billion?" She stuttered. "Is it painted with gold or something?"

"That is the problem!" Leorio pointed out as Gon and Killua avoided eye contact. "We are no where near the starting amount for the bid. We've been trying our best to make enough money before the auction starts."

"That's not the problem at all." She interjected. "It's eight billion jenny, and that's just the starting bid. If this game is a collectors item then people would go as far as bidding their lives on the game. We would need a lot more than eight billion."

"She's got a good point." Killua sighed.

"What about Heaven's arena? Didn't you two go there to train and to make money?"

"Well, you see, I still have the money I earned but it's still not enough to buy Greed Island." Gon frowned. She then looked over at Killua, wanting to ask him why he doesn't ship some money in, but Gon answered before she could ask. "Killua spent all his money on chocolate."

"Gon, that was meant to be kept between us!" Killua shouted at Gon. Himeko proceeded to give Killua a look of disapproval.

"What's with the dirty look?" He asked her. "I'm just trying to enjoy every moment of my boyhood!"

"Yeah yeah, your so call boyhood is just a one way ticket to diabetes." She mocked him.

"That's enough you two!" Leorio separated them. "We have to come up with a way to get at least 8 billion. If we are lucky enough, no one will bid higher than that. There are seven copies going for sale after all."

"Have you started doing anything?" She asked them.

"Killua and I tried using Gyo to find antiques. Wing-san told us once that geniuses use nen unintentionally so many original artifacts will have an aura which we can spot with Gyo." Gon told her.

"That's actually quite smart!" She thought. "There are quite a lot of markets out here and most buyers won't know what's real and what's fake. If we get our hands on something valuable, we'd be able to sell it at an Antique shop for a good price."

"We finally got someone who thinks in our group." Leorio said in a relieved tone. "Now I don't have to worry so much about you two reckless brats." He shot Killua and Gon a glare.

"Have you guys gotten your hands on anything yet?" She asked.

"No, but we did bid on a couple of items already. If no one bids higher than us then they are ours." Killua said.

"If that's so, then we should continue looking for more things. If we get lucky, we'll get a little closer to our target. But we'll have to come up with something else too just incase our plan doesn't work out."

"In that case, I'll leave the antique hunting to you three." Leorio said. "I haven't learned nen yet so I won't be of any use. In the meantime, I'll try and find another way to earn money and try to get hold of Kurapika's whereabouts."

"Okay, then us three will be finding more things to sell." Gon confirmed the plan. "Leorio will be in the hotel room looking for other ways to earn money."

"That's right. We'll meet again near this cafe. If not, then we'll contact each other via phone." Killua added. He then turned to Himeko. "If you get lost, stay put! Don't move! Just call either Gon or me and wait for one of us to come and pick you up."

"Roger!" She saluted.

"Okay, if that's all I'll be heading back to the hotel room. If I get through to Kurapika I will call you three." He said. "Also, take care of Kou you two. It's not really safe for a girl to be walking around alone in Yorkshin especially since the Underground auctions will be taking place soon. All kinds of weirdos will be roaming around this place."

"Don't worry, I'm a girl that can kick ass!" She reassured Leorio while pumping her fist, only to be dragged away by Killua.

"Yeah yeah, you can kick some ass later. Come on Gon, we'll go and have a look at the items we bidded on."

Leorio smiled as he watched the three kids walk away.

"Those three probably haven't realised it themselves, but they've grown a lot since the Hunter exam." He thought proudly. "I just hope Kurapika is alright."

Leorio then walked back to their Hotel room.

* * *

><p><strong>An -** Let the Yorkshin City arc begin!


End file.
